Germany used to apologise for Nazi-era crimes during the WWII but has said it is not willing to discuss reparations when it is about Greece. The official Athens decided to discuss that sensitive issue during the recent visit to the greece’s capital.
Angela Merkel apologised for the injustices perpetrated by German forces during the war. She agreed that Berlin is aware of our historical responsibility, and knows how much suffering Germany caused Greece during the era of National Socialism. Talking about the lessons learned by Germany, its government do its best to ensure good relations with Athens and to support each other for the benefit of both countries.
World War Two reparations resurfaced as an emotional issue during Greece’s 2010-18 period of bailouts when austerity-hit Greeks, evoking past injustices, blamed their biggest creditor Germany for painful cuts associated with three international bailouts.
“As Greeks, we consider these demands legally active and (that they can be) judicially pursued and should be solved in the competent European forum, judicial forum,” Greek President told Ms Merkel.
Last October, Prokopis Pavlopoulos said Athens wanted €290 billion from Germany in compensation for atrocities committed during the German occupation of the country from 1941 to 1944. Greece’s prime minister Alexis Tsipras even has threatened to take the issue to the International Court of Justice, however, Angela Merkel preferred to make the first step and to agree that Germany ‘takes total responsibility for Nazi crimes in Greece’.
