Ex PM Samaras: Merkel offered me Grexit in August 2012

Former Prime Minister of Greece Antonis Samaras said German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered him a temporary “Grexit, a withdrawal of the country from the Eurozone amid its large-scale economic crisis. He immediately rejected the offer, he said.

“I immediately cut her short and said: ‘We will not continue this discussion, it does not exist. I do not accept this and will not, in any case, agree to withdraw Greece from Euro so forget about it’ “, Samaras told private Skai TV on Thursday.

The former prime minister said revealed that he met with Merkel in Berlin on 24 August 2012, where they discussed the crisis in Greece.

Merkel had also told him that “there was a plan B to help Athens in case of Grexit,” the former prime minister added.

The former prime minister added that had he did not mention this conversation to anyone as it would create turbulence on markets and in the economy.

Samaras noted that then, Greece managed to meet all preconditions for receiving a huge 54 billion euro loan.

In an interview with the Skai broadcaster published on Thursday, the former prime minister said that he met with Merkel in Berlin on 24 August 2012, when they discussed the crisis in Greece and Merkel asked Samaras if he wanted Greece to leave the Eurozone. Merkel added that there was a plan B to help Athens in that case.