Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos visited Kalavryta on Sunday, an area where WWII atrocities took place. During his speech, Pavlopoulos referred to the issue of German war reparations and a forced occupation loan demanded by the Nazi administration, noting that Greece’s demands were still “legally active and pursuable through the courts” and had not been written off.

His speech on the anniversary of the Kalavryta massacre pointed to the rights of the victims of the German occupation as not just a matter of national interest but a European issue. He emphasized the obligation to the memory of victims to seek the implementation of international law.

He attended an event at the Paleologina mansion and was declared an honorary citizen.

Speaking in the presence of the German Ambassador to Greece Peter Schoof, Pavlopoulos said that the slaughter and destruction that took place on December 13, 1943, was a historic fact that Germany has also admitted to. In fact it was considered one of the greatest and most odious war crimes of the German occupation of Greece.