The leftist-rightist Greek government again went into “damage control mode” late this week after Nikos Kotzias’ high-profile resignation as Greece’s foreign minister, with a top minister and associate of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Nikos Pappas, promising that the coalition can survive a no-confidence vote tabled in Parliament by the main opposition.
Pappas, who holds the digital policy portfolio that includes state-run media, reiterated that the floundering Tsipras government has the votes in parliament to pass the provisional Prespa agreement, and that Greece – i.e. his government – “is committed, at the highest level, over the Prespa accord … the policy over the Macedonia name issue has not changed.”
In a bid to downplay numerous media reports of allegations and counter-allegations between Kotzias and Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, the head of the small right-wing party that serves as the junior coalition partner, regarding the management of discretionary funds at the foreign and defense ministries, respectively, Pappas merely called for “increased Parliamentary review (of such funds), so that this (issue) isn’t irresponsibly discussed in public…”
Asked on a radio news program whether Kotzias will become a “new Varoufakis” Pappas replied: “Mr. Kotzias rarely lies. He will not become the new Varoufakis.”
The pointed reference pointed to Yanis Varoufakis, the mercurial finance minister during the Tsipras government’s first six months in power in 2015, as well as Athens’ “point man” in shambolic negotiations with creditors at the time.
Meanwhile, in continuing a stepped up attack on the poll-trailing Tsipras government, a main opposition New Democracy (ND) spokeswoman on Friday called for Kotzias’ nine-page resignation letter to be publicized.
Spokesperson Maria Spyraki was commenting on an earlier statement by the government spokesman, who called Kotzias’ resignation, hours after a bitter argument with Kammenos at a closed-door Cabinet meeting, “incomprehensible”.
“The government must immediately publicize the resignation letter … so that Greek citizens know what exactly happened,” she said.
