The leader of MeRA25 and former Greek Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, spoke positively about Kosovo during an appearance on “Debat Plus.”
“The image of Kosovo in Greece has improved dramatically over the past two or three years.”
He noted that this shift has also been influenced by Kosovo’s position during disputes between Greece and North Macedonia.
“This dispute has set us back for decades—it has set back the Macedonians and the region—so for me, what matters is that we move away from meaningless conflicts,” he added.
Varoufakis stated that nationalism is one of the main reasons why Greece has not yet recognized Kosovo.
He explained that in Greece there is a belief that recognizing Kosovo would “legitimize” Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Turkey.
However, according to him, this approach is misguided and belongs to the past. He also noted that, overall, Kosovo has seen positive developments in financial policies since 2005.
Who is Yanis Varoufakis?
Yanis Varoufakis is one of the most influential Greek economists. He is a multifaceted figure—an economist, author, blogger, professor, and academic. He trained as an economist at the University of Essex, where he earned his doctorate.
He has taught at several universities, including University of Cambridge, University of East Anglia, University of Glasgow, University of Sydney, and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
In addition to his academic career, he entered politics through the Greek party SYRIZA. Following SYRIZA’s electoral victory, he was appointed Minister of Finance of Greece in 2015. However, he served only a few months, resigning on July 6, 2015.
Throughout his career, Varoufakis has been actively involved in debates on economic crises in Europe, the euro, and the global financial crisis between 2008 and 2012.
During his time in government, he strongly opposed austerity measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund and European institutions. However, when then-Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accepted the demands set by the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the IMF, Varoufakis resigned as finance minister.
