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Within his newly released personal account, named Ithaki, the former leader Tsipras does not hold back while he revisits the turbulent era during Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Appointment

According to Tsipras's account, Tsipras chose the unorthodox academic Varoufakis as his treasury head mainly due to his worldwide fame and his “extremely attractive” abilities when it came to public orator.

“He was, actually, more of a personality and less of an economic expert,” recalled the 51-year-old.

Conflicting Priorities

Tsipras claims that his finance chief possessed a personal agenda that involved promoting Varoufakis's books as well as testing out his game theories on the nation instead of truly advocating the country's economic stability.

He wrote how those discussions to stave off insolvency were “not only a way to secure a better deal for Greece. They were a test, an historic chance to demonstrate the validity of Varoufakis's economic theories.”

High-Stakes Talks

Amid rollercoaster discussions, Greece found itself dangerously on the brink of exiting the single currency area.

At stake was not only Greece's destiny but also the harsh cutbacks demanded in return for rescue loans from international creditors.

Unsuccessful Options

Efforts to secure financing elsewhere, including a desperate appeal to the Kremlin to purchase Greek bonds, went unanswered.

Helping the indebted country was tantamount to throwing money into the garbage, the Russian leader is reputed to have informed his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Public Vote and U-Turn

That summer, those excoriating conditions were put to a popular referendum, an action that threw Europe into deeper existential crisis.

Even though the referendum was won resoundingly by those against the cuts, the prime minister had little option to ignore the result then agree to a bailout package from creditors which proved to be even harsher.

Breaking Point

The ex-PM claimed how he started questioning Varoufakis quite early on.

“Varoufakis was the face of the talks, the man who drew media attention, who appeared on the front pages of publications globally … it seemed he was enjoying the spotlight.”

After the minister outlined a backup strategy that included creating a parallel currency and distributing coupons to pensioners, Tsipras said he realised it was game over and asked Varoufakis: “Can you be serious?”

Enduring Criticism

In the book, the author concludes how his former ally demonstrated himself “unsuitable for a deal demanding complex and sensitive management.”

Tsipras also wrote that Varoufakis's confrontational style made him more and more alone among peers, put Greece at risk, and helped hardliners who were advocating Grexit.

The retelling of history has provoked anger along with shock in some quarters, while the former minister has so far kept a deafening silence on the matter.