German reparations, occupation loan, are open issues for the government, foreign minister Avramopoulos says

Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos on Thursday underlined that the Greek government reserves the right to raise different aspects of the German war reparations when it is deemed suitable and after considering all parameters.

A document forwarded to Parliament on April 5 bearing the foreign minister's signature also noted that the Greek government had intervened in the dispute between Germany and Italy in the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the case of the compensations to the families of the Distomo massacre.

The document, which was forwarded to Parliament in response to a relevant question by independent MP Nikos Nikolopoulos, also mentioned that the “issue of the occupation loan the Bank of Greece was forced to give to the German and Italian occupation forces is open and distinct from the issue of war reparations.”

The foreign minister pointed out that “Greece has been concerned with the issue of the WWII German reparations for a long time,” noting that this constitutes an issue with “historical, humanitarian, political and legal dimensions.”

“Greece, taking under consideration the parameters mentioned and the existing conjuncture in bilateral and international relations has been raising the issue regularly within the framework of bilateral meetings between senior government officials and also during official contacts between competent ministries,” according to Avramopoulos.

The foreign minister also noted that the foreign ministry forwarded the confidential report - prepared by the working group of the State General Accounting Office after studying WWI and WWII archives - to the president of the State Legal Council to process, evaluate and substantiate the claims raised by the Greek State.

Foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras on Thursday responded to a relevant question by saying that the State General Accounting Office has prepared a report on the German reparations based on existing archives. It was handed over to the foreign ministry which in turn has forwarded it to the State Legal Council to determine whether the claims of the Greek state would stick, he underlined.

Delavekouras pointed out that the findings are confidential and noted that the political will has been expressed, considering that the specific process is underway in response to the moral and historical dimensions of the issue. Now the legal dimension of the issue is being considered, he added.

“We are expecting the State Legal Council's consultatory response,” Delavekouras concluded.