For Greece, the issue of war reparations is ‘still very much alive’, PM Mitsotakis says, receiving German president

ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ

Sakellaropoulou raises the importance of German war reparations, WWII occupation loan

German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to visit Greece on October 29-31

PM Mitsotakis: This year was the most difficult in the last 40 years

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Wednesday at the Maximos Mansion with visiting Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

International developments, the prospects of Greek-German relations and the strengthening of Greek-German cooperation within EU were discussed at the meeting.
Mitsotakis particularly thanked Steinmeier for his planned visit to Kandanos, Crete on Thursday and for acknowledging, through his presence there, the nazi atrocities on the island during WWII.
He also said that, for Greece, the issue of German war reparations and particularly the forced occupation loan were still very much “alive”, expressing hope that they can be resolved at some point.
At the start of the meeting the prime minister and German President had the following exchange:

KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS: Mr. President, I am truly glad to welcome you to Athens. I believe that this is a very important visit, which I consider highlights the fact that Greek-German relations are entering a different era, leaving behind us a turbulent period of crisis.
As you are aware, Greece is doing very well, much better in the field of the economy. I believe it is an excellent opportunity to talk about the future, about what we can do together as European partners who are facing major issues, such as competitiveness and migration. We must cooperate to resolve them.
However, I would like to thank you, personally, including as a Cretan, for the fact that you have chosen to visit my particular homeland, the island of Crete, tomorrow and to visit Kandanos, to acknowledge with your presence the nazi atrocities that took place on the island during World War II. I think it’s a very important gesture.
As you know, for Greece the matter of reparations and especially the forced occupation loan are issues that are still very much alive and we hope that at some point we will resolve them. However, I would like to attach great value to your presence in Greece, on Crete. I consider that it is a gesture of great importance for us.
So thank you again for your visit. We look forward to a very productive course towards further strengthening our bilateral relations.

FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER: Thank you for your kind invitation and your time, Prime Minister. I am happy to be back in Greece and to say that I remember both the easy periods in our bilateral relations, but also the difficult ones. So, I am very happy that Greece has returned to the course of economic growth, fuelling our bilateral economic transactions, and that German companies are still not simply present but also investing here in Greece. Just yesterday we visited the production unit of the German company Boehringer – Ingelheim, near Athens.
I therefore hope that our bilateral relations, not only economic but also exchanges in the cultural field and between the two peoples, will develop in the coming years, in the context of a democratic Europe, which represents freedom worldwide and will be a place where it is worthwhile for one to live.

source ANA-MPA

Kamala Harris Delivers Her Closing Argument in Washington DC to a Crowd of More than 75,000: Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided…