In an article published on his personal blog on Sunday, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to give his country a “Speech of Hope,” similar to that given by former U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes in Stuttgart in 1946. According to Varoufakis, that speech given during the German post-war period was of great importance because it signaled the end of punitive approach, giving German people the chance to imagine growth, recovery and normalcy. Greece’s Finance Minister wrote in the article: “Seven decades later, it is my country, Greece, that needs such a chance.” He also explained the main reason Greece rejected its international creditors’ demands for more austerity measures in exchange for a bailout plan: “No offer of debt relief. No plan for boosting investment.” Varoufakis underscored the great need to restore Greeks’ morale, proposing that Merkel should give a vital “Speech of Hope,” while he promised to work hard and make his poverty-stricken country competitive again. Varoufakis will meet with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in Berlin this week.
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