EUROZONE-GREECE/RESIGNATION REAX Greece's Varoufakis quits to facilitate debt deal - minister

Record ID: 148266

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/RESIGNATION REAX Greece's Varoufakis quits to facilitate debt deal - minister
  • Date: 6th July 2015
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JULY 6, 2015) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** TWITTER PROFILE OF FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER YANIS VAROUFAKIS WHERE HE ANNOUNCED HIS RESIGNATION CLOSE OF TWEET BY VAROUFAKIS SAYING (English): "Minister No More"
  • Embargoed: 21st July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAANGPM5Q8BOPJBZFXVA5Z1KA92
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Greece's outspoken finance minister resigned on Monday (July 6), removing a major obstacle to any last-minute deal to keep Athens in the euro zone after Greeks voted resoundingly to reject the austerity terms of a bailout.
    Yanis Varoufakis, a self-proclaimed "erratic Marxist" economist who infuriated euro zone partners with his unconventional style and hectoring lectures, had campaigned for Sunday's sweeping 'No' vote, accusing Greece' creditors of "terrorism".
    Varoufakis announced his resignation via Tweeter.
    "Minister No More," he wrote.
    His message was followed by a written official statement.
    "I was made aware of a certain 'preference' by some Eurogroup participants, and assorted 'partners', for my... 'absence' from its meetings; an idea that the Prime Minister judged to be potentially helpful to him in reaching an agreement."
    His sacrifice, after promising Greeks he would win a better deal within a day of their overwhelming referendum vote, suggested leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is determined to try to reach a last-ditch compromise with European leaders.
    "Our Prime Minister wants to go there with a Greece united and ask our partners to make similar concessions to those we have done. Yanis has done an excellent job, a great job and I think his initiative is exactly aiming to help the negotiation a go ahead," Greek Minister for Administrative Reforms George Katrougalous told Reuters.
    Tsipras is expected to name a new minister on Monday.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Video restrictions: parts of this video may require additional clearances. Please see ‘Business Notes’ for more information.
Register