NEWS

Greek defense official to seek evidence in Moscow to back WWII claims

Alternate Defense Minister Costas Isichos told Russian media that he plans to ask authorities there to allow the Greek state access to archives pertaining to the destruction of infrastructure by Nazi forces during World War II.

Speaking to daily Russkaya Gazeta on Wednesday, the first of a four-day visit to Moscow, Isichos said that Greece is looking for evidence to back its demands for World War II reparations from Germany in the archives of allied forces Russia, the United States, Great Britain and France.

“There is a chance that relevant documents will be found in the Russian archives,” Isichos said. “The Greek government is trying to collect similar evidence all over the world in order to strengthen with written proof its demands for war reparations and a return of the forced loan.”

Last week Isichos said he had received a large collection of Wehrmacht documents from the US.

“These documents do not just substantiate a historic truth – they are the documents of the Wehrmacht itself, the occupation forces,” said Isichos. “They are diaries, reports by officers to their superiors… these were not written for publicity, they were mainly secret documents.”

In response to successive Greek demands, Berlin has repeated that the issue of war reparations has long been settled and refuses to further discuss the issue.

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