Greece has renewed its call for negotiations with Germany regarding reparations for the damage caused during World War II.
“The issue is pending. It is important to address matters of the past,” Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou told her visiting German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, during a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday.
Steinmeier ruled out the possibility of new payment negotiations nearly 80 years after the war ended. “Our legal position on reparations differs; you know that. For us, legally, the matter is considered closed,” he said.
Greece’s General Accounting Office estimated in 2015 that Germany owed €278.7 billion in reparations, along with an additional €10.3 billion to reimburse a wartime forced loan.
While Germany has apologized for Nazi-era crimes committed during the war, it has consistently maintained that it is not willing to discuss reparations. The country has denied owing anything to Greece for World War II since it paid Athens the sum of 115 million deutschmarks in 1960.