Greek Prime Minister Seeks War Reparations From Germany

© REUTERS / Kostas TsironisAlexis Tsipras, head of Greece's Syriza left-wing main opposition party
Alexis Tsipras, head of Greece's Syriza left-wing main opposition party - Sputnik International
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Germany must compensate for damages caused by its occupation of Greece during World War II, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said.

Greece Defense Minister Panos Kammenos - Sputnik International
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ATHENS (Sputnik) — Speaking Tuesday at a parliamentary committee meeting on the subject, Tsipras sought reparations from Germany for destroyed infrastructure, stolen archaeological treasures and "occupation credit" in the 1940s.

"The Greek government will strive to honor its commitments to the full. But it will also strive to ensure all unfulfilled obligations toward Greece and the Greek people are fulfilled," the prime minister said, linking the country's latest debt negotiations to the subject of war reparations.

Ostensibly rejecting last month's claims by German leadership that the issue of reparations has long been settled, Tsipras accused the country of employing "silence, legal tricks and delays."

Tsipras has renewed discussions that Germany must repay the remaining part of its 73-year-old debt to Greece almost immediately, following his anti-austerity Syriza party's victory two months ago. In 1960, Germany returned one-fourth of the amount it forced the Greek central bank to loan at a zero-interest rate in 1942.

"We are not giving morality lessons, but we will not accept morality lessons either".

Berlin has maintained that Athens must honor its pre-Syriza commitments in order for it to continue receiving bailout package money.

Greece and Eurozone finance ministers reached an agreement in February to extend its bailout into July. The new deal requires Greece to carry out all remaining creditor-mandated reforms before it can receive another aid installment of about 7.2 billion euros ($7.9 billion).

It has borrowed a total of 240 billion euros ($265 billion) under two aid packages from the European Union, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a so-called troika of international negotiators.

Greece is expected start direct talks with the troika envoys in Brussels on Wednesday.

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