The German Minister of Finances Wolfgang Schäuble has disputed media reports that he has a harder stance regarding a possible Greek departure from the Eurozone, than German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In an interview for German financial publication Wirtschaftswoche, Mr. Schäuble claimed that he in fact shares the same opinion with Mrs. Merkel on the subject. He explained that he has made many efforts to help Greece recover and revealed that in 2012 he favored a 53% write off of the Greek debt.
Nevertheless, the German Minister took the opportunity to lash out against the Greek government, noting that the current round of negotiations is “exhausting”. He also opined that SYRIZA won the recent election by telling the Greek people that there was an easy way out of the crisis, without the need for reforms.
Mr. Schäuble argued that these reforms are in the interests of Greece and claimed that prior to the elections, he advised SYRIZA president Alexis Tsipras against making such promises.
