German authorities resolutely rejected the new demands of Greece to pay reparations over the WWII occupation of Greece.

 

“The position of the federal government remains unchanged: the issue of German reparations is finally settled both legally and politically,” said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert, DW reported.

 

Germany's official position is that all reparation issues were settled decades ago. In 1960, Greece signed off on a deal in which West Germany agreed to pay 115 million deutschmarks as compensation.  In 1942, Nazi Germany forced the Greek national bank to pay out an interest-free loan to the tune of 476 million Reichsmarks, this issue was settled by the 1953 London Debt Agreement.

 

The first conference on reparations, in Paris in the fall of 1945, granted Greece a percentage of Germany's reparation payments for WWII damages. Athens received non-cash benefits worth up to €2 billion.

 

Earlier it was reported that Greek lawmakers have officially endorsed a diplomatic offensive to have Germany pay reparations over the WWII occupation of Greece. Athens is due to raise the issue with Berlin, where the matter is seen as long settled.