“The Greek Finance Minister was either attempting a poker game bluff or he underestimated the severity of the Greek economic situation,” stated Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem in an interview to Dutch television.
Dijsselbloem stressed that the situation looked like two cars nearing a head-on collision and trying to see who would turn the wheel first in order to save himself.
The new Greek government discovered how bad the economic situation of the country was soon after taking office. “There was no money and therefore they needed help. They did not want any more loans, since they had already taken too many, but they would need 32 years on average to repay the existing loans. I think they just did not know how bad the Greek state was doing and how much the Greek debt had extended,” he noted.
Furthermore, Dijsselbloem referred to the first press conference held in Athens with Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and what he whispered in his ear before leaving. “I told him that this was not a wise decision. Varoufakis attacked the institutions, which I think was a stupid move, because they work for politicians. Consequently, if you want to blame these institutions, you know that you should turn to us,” he said.
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