During his visit to Athens, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was surprisingly confronted with Greek demands for reparations. At the start of their conversation, Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou reminded him of the damage her country suffered in the Second World War and of the forced loan paid to Hitler’s Germany.

The problem of war reparations and compulsory loans still has “very great importance” for the Greek people, said Sakellaropoulou. “An issue that is still pending,” she added.

Greece, which was conquered by the Wehrmacht in the Second World War, has long been demanding compensation for war damage and repayment of the forced loan by Germany.

Steinmeier: Question of reparations closed under international law

Steinmeier acknowledged German responsibility for the “atrocities” before and during the Second World War, but emphasized: “We take a different view on the legal question you raise. You know that Germany considers the legal question of reparations to be closed under international law. But we nevertheless accept our historical and moral responsibility.”

The Federal President recalled Germany’s commitment to building a Holocaust museum in Thessaloniki and the German-Greek youth exchange promoted by Germany. He called the German crimes in Greece “a difficult topic that still plays a role in our current relations and that we cannot avoid, which is why I am dedicating space to it during this visit.”