Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-03-15

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Varoufakis: I hope that Italian PM will take advantage of our work

[01] Varoufakis: I hope that Italian PM will take advantage of our work

Varoufakis explained that "the finance minister of a country with high debts is considered a weak link. If they attack me, they reach the prime minister and the whole government. A character's assassination is a potential predictable culmination: I am not surprised or shocked".

Asked whether there are differences between him and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, he said «that's what our enemies are trying to leak. That's the method. They have been trying to divide us for a long time but they will fail in a spectacular way because Alexis and I are very close. I got into this effort in order to help him and my country. I am not at all interested in the political leadership".

Asked on a possible check of his bank accounts, he said "they will not find a lot of money, I have been an academic all my life, I do not have many assets or money. They can even present my apartment in Athens as super luxurious, but those who have visited it know that it is not. It isn't even mine. I have only one mission and that's what I am trying to do: To change the false way in which Greece and the European crisis were presented; to tell the truth and that's what I will continue doing at all costs".

Referring to the Greek economic crisis, Varoufakis noted «we are aware that for a series of years our economy was not sustainable but whoever said in those 'good years' that the growth was fake he was considered an eccentric in Europe. In that period, everybody was celebrating the Greek miracle and treated us, who said that 'there will be a bad ending', as anti-Europeans. Later, when the crisis broke out we asked those who had never paid to pay, when we protested saying that more loans and more austerity was not the solution, they treated us again as anti-Europeans".

"We are not anti-Europeans. We are certainly the only powerful party of the left that supports Europe. What does being Europeans mean today? To passively accept whatever the powerful authorities dictate?" said Varoufakis.

Referring to Italy, Varoufakis underlined: "I hope the Italians and Prime Minister Renzi take advantage of all those we are doing in Greece in order for new opportunities to be created. Italy is a country that counts more than us but a review of the agreements will be in the interest of countries, such as Germany, that have trade surplus".

Concluding the newspaper referred to a Greek minister's statement that "threatened to open the borders to migrants and terrorists in retaliation to Germany." Varoufakis replied: "It's rubbish. I don't believe that there is someone that says such things, but even if there was, I would condemn him. At this phase we should be extremely careful not to limit the consent we have secured in Europe. Accusing each other does not help".

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