Varoufakis rejects reports there were any thoughts of printing new currency during his term
Economist and former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis rejected press reports on Friday (14/10/2016) that he had any intention of printing a new currency during his term as Greece’s finance minister in 2015.
“During my time in government I was not involved in any of Prime Minister Tsipras’ meetings with Russian officials and, thus, I was not privy to the topics discussed. But, as finance minister, I can confirm that not only was no one approached (in Greece or abroad) to discuss the minting of a new currency, but that we never had such an intention either,” Varoufakis said in a statement released by his press office.
The reports concern a recently published book on French President Francois Hollande, according to which Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras may have asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance in order to print a Greek currency. According to the book, the French president allegedly mentioned that Putin had told him that "Greece asked us to print drachmas in Russia because they do not have such a press."