Greece has not given up its German reparations claim, Papoulias tells Gauck
Athens has not dropped its claim for compensation over Nazi atrocities committed during WWII, President Karolos Papoulias told his visiting German counterpart Joachim Gauck, Skai reports quoting unnamed sources.
“Greece never gave up its claim [for German reparations],” Karoulias is quoted as saying, while calling for negotiations between the two states on the issue.
Gauck, who is in Greece on a three-day visit, reportedly said he was not competent to express different opinion from Berlin. The German official said that mistakes had been made in the past and spoke of German “atrocities,” according to the report.
Earlier on Thursday, the German President expressed his solidarity with the Greek people, acknowledging that sacrifices have been made in the effort to boost the economy through structural reforms.
Gauck was scheduled to meet with SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The meeting will be attended by SYRIZA MP and war hero Manolis Glezos. Earlier this week, Glezos insisted that Germany should pay damages to Greece and pay back a loan that the country was forced to grant the Nazi regime.
On Friday, Gauck is due to travel with Papoulias to Ioannina. He will visit the village of Ligiades, where Nazi occupying forces executed 92 people in October 1943.
