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Yanis Varoufakis resigns: His statement in full

'I shall wear the creditors’ loathing with pride'

Monday 06 July 2015 20:14 BST

Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has pledged to resign if his country votes “yes” to the bailout plan (Reuters) (Reuters)

Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has resigned claiming he was forced to when the country's creditors demanded his absence fromany future talks. This is his statement in full

Read the Independent's liveblog on the Greece crisis

The referendum of 5th July will stay in history as a unique moment when a small European nation rose up against debt-bondage.

Like all struggles for democratic rights, so too this historic rejection of the Eurogroup’s 25th June ultimatum comes with a large price tag attached. It is, therefore, essential that the great capital bestowed upon our government by the splendid NO vote be invested immediately into a YES to a proper resolution – to an agreement that involves debt restructuring, less austerity, redistribution in favour of the needy, and real reforms.

Soon after the announcement of the referendum results, I was made aware of a certain preference by some Eurogroup participants, and assorted ‘partners’, for my… ‘absence’ from its meetings; an idea that the Prime Minister judged to be potentially helpful to him in reaching an agreement. For this reason I am leaving the Ministry of Finance today.

I consider it my duty to help Alexis Tsipras exploit, as he sees fit, the capital that the Greek people granted us through yesterday’s referendum.

And I shall wear the creditors’ loathing with pride.

We of the Left know how to act collectively with no care for the privileges of office. I shall support fully Prime Minister Tsipras, the new Minister of Finance, and our government.

The superhuman effort to honour the brave people of Greece, and the famous OXI (NO) that they granted to democrats the world over, is just beginning.

In pictures: Greek referendum

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People celebrate in Athens after the first exit-polls of the Greek referendum

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A "No" supporter flashes a victory sign before a Greek flag atop the parliament in Athens, Greece July 5, 2015.Greeks voted overwhelmingly "No" on Sunday in a historic bailout referendum, partial results showed, defying warnings from across Europe that rejecting new austerity terms for fresh financial aid would set their country on a path out of the euro.

REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

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Supporters of the No vote react after the first results of the referendum at Syntagma square in Athens

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Supporters of the No vote wave Greek flags after the referendum's exit polls at Syntagma square in Athens

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Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis casts his vote in the country's referendum

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A ballot box is emptied by a voting official at the closing of polling stations in Athens, Greece July 5, 2015. Greece voted on Sunday on whether to accept more austerity in exchange for international aid, in a high-stakes referendum likely to determine whether it leaves the euro-currency area after seven years of economic pain.

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A photographer photographs a man waiting to vote in the referendum at a school in the suburbs of Athens

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Greek voters are being asked to choose between backing their creditor's austerity measures or rejecting them

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Tourists walk past posters with slogans that read “OXI“ (NO) and “NAI“ (YES) ahead of the referendum in Athens

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Opposition parties to Syriza, including the centre-right New Democracy, are campaigning for a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum

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Protesters on both sides of the argument ('No' pictured here) have rallied in Athens

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been branded reckless and a feckless liar by EU leaders

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According to polls which surveyed some 1000 people across the country, 41.5 percent of Greeks would support the new bailout measures to avoid an exit from the Eurozone

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Despite Tsipras's assurances, many Greek people are not certain whether Sunday’s referendum is a vote on whether Greece will remain in the euro or not

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The Greek and EU flags flutter in front of the ancient Acropolis hill in Athens. The Greek people have been called upon to show “calm and national unity”

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addresses a crowd of 25,000 'No' supporters in Athens' Syntagma Square

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Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras gave a televised address to the nation ahead of the vote. He has called on voters to reject creditors’ proposals for more austerity in return for rescue loans

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Protesters march holding a torn European Union flag during a demonstration for the 'NO' campaign in Thessaloniki

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Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has pledged to resign if his country votes “yes” to the bailout plan

Reuters

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Pensioner wait to get their pensions outside a National Bank of Greece branch in central Athens. Banks only opened for pensioners to allow them to get their pensions, with a limit of 120 euros.

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Protesters attend an anti-austerity pro-government rally in front of the parliament building

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The possibility of Greece leaving the Eurozone is increasing by the day. Merchandise already exists to accompany the event

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An elderly man waits to receive his pension outside the closed National Bank of Greece headquarters in Athens

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People stand in a queue to use an ATM outside a closed bank in Athens

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A banner supporting the NO vote in the upcoming referendum hangs from the offices of the Greek Finance Ministry

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Greeks will be asked whether they accept the austerity terms demanded by the country's creditors

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Eurozone finance ministers expressed disappointment at the Greek decision to hold a referendum on the bailout terms

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Alexis Tsipras, the Greek Prime Minister, said bailout conditions had ‘asphyxiated’ his country

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