Germany rejected accusations by Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos, who said Berlin has failed to compensate Athens properly for the Nazi occupation during World War II.

The German Foreign Ministry says Berlin has provided Athens with aid amounting to billions of euros. In an interview with BBC World Service, Pangalos criticised Germany's attitude towards Greece's current financial crisis, saying that Athens has never received adequate compensation for the consequences of the Nazi invasion of 1941.

Pangalos added that after the occupation, Greece's gold and foreign currency reserves were seized by troops and never returned. In response, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said that raising issues from the past would not help Athens deal with its current problems.