Greek president: demands for German reparations remain valid
Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas said Athens' demands for German war reparations remain current, lawful and not subject to a statute of limitations.
Yulduz Salimov2 min read
Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas confirmed that Athens' demands for Germany to pay war reparations remain valid. He made the statement on October 4, 2026, at commemorations marking the 83rd anniversary of the Lingiades massacre in northern Greece.
According to Tasoulas, the Greek demands remain "current, lawful and not subject to a statute of limitations."
The Lingiades massacre took place during the German occupation of Greece in World War II. According to Greek sources, German occupation troops killed 88 residents of Lingiades and the surrounding area. More than 40 of those killed were children and teenagers under the age of 17.
In 2014, then German President Joachim Gauck visited Lingiades and laid a wreath at the memorial to the victims of the massacre.
For decades, Greece has demanded compensation from Germany for damage caused during World War II, as well as the return of a forced loan that Germany's occupation authorities took out at Greece's expense.
According to Greek estimates, the total sum of the claims ranges from 278 billion euros to 341 billion euros, depending on the calculation method. Athens believes the issue of payments remains open.
Germany rejects Greece's demands. Berlin maintains that the issue of war reparations has been settled from a legal standpoint.
The reparations dispute remains one of the most difficult historical issues in relations between the two countries, despite their current membership in the European Union and NATO.
Source: news.am
