German war reparations, submarines to Turkey raised in talks between Dendias, Baerbock

German war reparations owed to Greece for the Nazi occupation of WWII, as well as Athens’ concerns over the export of German-made submarines to Turkey, were among the issues raised by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in his meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Athens on Friday.

“For the Greek government and Greek society, the issue of German reparations remains open,” Dendias said, while adding that a settling this issue was a matter of principle and would be mutually beneficial for both countries, significantly improving Greek-German relations.

He also relayed Athens’ concerns about the exports of German armaments to Turkey, especially the submarines, stressing that the Greek position was clear:

“These submarines risk changing the balance of power,” he pointed out, and while Greece had the same submarines, it was “neither threatening its neighbours nor behaving as a revisionist force”.

He also noted that Turkey, despite being a member of NATO, was openly threatening Greece with war, constantly violating its sovereignty and sovereign rights, as well as illegally occupying the territory of Cyprus, an EU member-state.

“The islands of the Aegean are Greek territory and no one has the right to dispute this,” the German foreign minister underlined, on her part.

“My own government will not allow there to be any doubt that we stand in solidarity,” she added.

SOURCE; ANA-MPA