The 12-minute meeting between Greece’s rock star, super cool Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and US President Barack Obama may not have appeared to be that long in duration, but it was the longest meeting between a Greek minister and a US President. Also unprecedented was Varoufakis’ appearance, true to his usual style he broke with protocol and appeared in front of Obama without a tie.

In jest, Obama – who had a hard time pronouncing the name Varoufakis – joked that he was the “man with the money” causing those present to laugh, said Yiannis Horozoglou from G-S Travel when speaking with VIMA FM.

Private MEGA TV reporter Michael Ignatius said that Obama expressed his support to the Greek FinMin in a way that Varoufakis said was not domineering.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting, Varoufakis said that the two men spoke for five minutes that only allowed time for a brief review of the problems Obama faced when he had come to power as president at a time of crisis and pressure for austerity. Obama compared that experience with that of Greece that is similar and yet different.

Present at the meeting was Athens Prefect Rena Dourou.