Stratoulis says Greece is not a ‘protectorate,’ attacks ‘obsessive’ Schaeuble
A leftist minister on Wednesday slammed Germany’s “obsessive” Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble for allegedly treating Greece as a “protectorate” state.
The comments by Social Security Minister Dimitris Stratoulis were prompted by speculation that Berlin had put pressure on Athens to replace its Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis.
“Who do they think they are to ask for the replacement [of Varoufakis]?,” Stratoulis said in an interview with Antenna TV on Wednesday.
“Greece is not a banana republic, it is not a protectorate,” he said.
“[Berlin] cannot dictate to us who will be our ministers,” he said, branding Schaeuble “obsessive.”
Statoulis’s comments came a day after Schaeuble was widely, but incorrectly, reported as saying Varoufakis was being “foolishly naive” on communication issues.
