The book “Ithaca” under fire of criticism: Putin, memoranda and a “political novel”

Putin“Ithaca” And 650 thousand euros for the first day: like a book Alexis Tsipras turned into drama 2015 into a profitable political novel and why the director Pronews Thasos Gouriotis doesn’t believe in anything “insulting words of the Kremlin”nor in the image of the author as a victim of the system.

Director of the portal Pronews Thassos Gouriotis on air of the program “Red Zone” journalist Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos analyzed in detail what exactly the former prime minister claims Alexis Tsipras in his book “Ithaca” and what political questions this publication opens up.

Particular attention was drawn to passages about Tsipras’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. According to the author of the book, the Russian president allegedly said that he would rather “give the requested money to an orphanage than to Greece.” To this Thassos Gouriotis responded with obvious skepticism, asking a rhetorical question: did Tsipras really talk to Putin, and not to his double, since this style of expression is completely inconsistent with the usual rhetoric of the Russian leader, even in private conversations.

Gouryotis emphasizes another key point that is rarely made publicly: according to memorandasigned by the Greek governments, the country does not have the right to take loans from “alternative sources” without guarantee European Central Bank. That is why, according to him, Moscow proposed a gas pipeline project in 2015 South Stream 2so that financing does not come as a direct loan, but as an advance against future duty revenues from transit.

According to Gouriotis, Russia never intended to issue a direct government loan to Greece precisely because Athens did not have the right to accept it. The money could only come from the gas pipeline project. But Tsipras, as the journalist reminds, never signed the construction agreement South Stream 2although Greece was supposed to become a partner on this route.

Who benefits from Ithaca and what Tsipras prefers to remain silent about

In the financial part of the publication, Gouryotis notes that the main direct beneficiary of the book is himself publishing house and personally Alexis Tsipras. According to him, the turnover on the first day of sales reached approximately 650 thousand eurosand under the conditional “50 to 50” scheme, the former prime minister could have received about 350 thousand euros in just a day, and “completely legally and with taxes paid.”

Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos adds that the current prime minister indirectly benefits from the noise around the book Kyriakos Mitsotakisas public attention moves away from the pressing issues of everyday life and his government’s falling ratings. Gouriotis agrees that the publication of Ithaca clearly diverts the debate away from socio-economic issues and helps Tsipras prepare for a possible political comeback.

At the same time, Panagiotopoulos, while recognizing Tsipras’ communication skills and his “likeable image,” sharply criticizes the content of the book. In his opinion, the passages give the impression “superficial approach to events”: instead of a serious analysis of the real problems of Greece and its future, the reader is offered details of the “political kitchen”, characteristics of former comrades and personal scores. The presenter emphasizes that from a person who led the country for 4.5 years at a time of severe crisis, it would be logical to expect deep reflection on the state of the economy, the destroyed manufacturing sector, the problems of the agricultural and industrial base, and not just a retelling of internal party dramas.

Thassos Gouriotis in turn names the book “a political novel, if not a political love affair”in which Tsipras portrays himself as a “good guy” surrounded by “bad” former associates. At the same time, as Guriotis reminds, it was he who chose and appointed these people, and now he seeks to distance himself from the decisions made then.

The journalist separately emphasizes that the book says almost nothing about the key obligations that the coalition has undertaken SYRIZA–ANEL after 2015. In particular, he recalls that:

• actually memorandum regime extended until 2115 through the mechanism of transfer of income from privatization and exploitation of state property;
• in 2016, an agreement was signed under which a significant part of the income from the use of public and cultural heritage sites (including large archaeological sites) was pledged in favor of creditors for 99 years old;
• the 2015 referendum, in which more than 60% of voters said “no,” was effectively canceled the next day by the Tsipras government itself, for which there was never an honest explanation.

At the same time, as Panagiotopoulos notes, the book hardly touches on the current structure of the Greek economy: the dominance of tourism and the service sector with an eroded production base, rising energy costs, threats to industry and the agricultural sector. Guriotis formulates dryly: “Right now Greece is all about tourism and gambling, and after the end of the Recovery Fund in 2026, the lights may go out.”. According to him, from Recovery Fund EU “out of one hundred euros, ninety-five went to ten large families,” and not to small and medium-sized businesses.

In the final part of the conversation, the foreign policy context is discussed. Guriotis explains the harsh statements of the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova to the Mitsotakis government with supplies of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, and at times when the Ukrainian Armed Forces experienced a shortage of shells. He criticizes the lack of visible compensation for Athens, drawing parallels with history Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)where he said Greece contributed territory but never received meaningful financial benefits.

According to Gouriotis, the slogan about turning Greece into an “energy hub” means little without real budget revenues and affordable energy prices. In the meantime, he argues, neither through new gas schemes nor through military supplies to Kyiv, Athens can show its citizens concrete economic dividends.

So the book Alexis Tsipras in interpretation Thasos Gouriotis looks not like a demanding analysis of the mistakes of 2015 and Greece’s long-term obligations, but rather an attempt to rewrite the history of the crisis period in the format of a personal political myth, in which many key decisions remain behind the scenes.

Author of the program: Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos. Author of analytical material: Theophrastos Andreopoulos

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