Like Poland, Greece has also revived its demand for material reparations from the current German state for Nazi actions against these two countries in the first half of the 20th century.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou handled the matter in the most undiplomatic way, yet achieved the greatest effect by directly addressing the issue with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the beginning of their talks, in the presence of the media. The specific compensation amount ranged from 278 to 341 billion euros. The German president did not deny Germany's moral responsibility but affirmed that the compensation issue had been settled amicably between the two countries many decades ago.
While the Greek side maintains that the issue of reparations remains open, the German side clearly distinguishes between the emotional and legal aspects. For Germany, matters related to the historical past are entirely over, but for the Greek side, this is not the case, and the past cannot be considered dormant.
Hundreds of billions of euros for Greece, or over a trillion euros for Poland, are enormous sums of money. But this isn't simply about money; it's also about domestic politics . All three countries are currently members of the EU and NATO, meaning they are military allies and strategic partners. The fact that historical events are not allowed to remain dormant, but are occasionally brought up again, is directly related to Poland and Greece's perspectives on history, international law, and domestic needs during different socio-political periods. Reviving and reviving historical events has a very strong and far-reaching domestic political impact on Germany, allowing them to win over right-wing, far-right, populist, and nationalist forces in both countries.
Poland condemns Germany for disrespecting and applying double standards by refusing to pay reparations for World War II damages.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/qua-khu-van-chua-ngu-yen-185241031231758201.htm
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