New Greek Foreign Minister's awkward correlations between Nazi Germany and Modern Germany

Kotzias meets German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Brussels (credit)

Professor Nikos Kotzias was nominated as the new Foreign Minister of Greece in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and he has already received severe criticism, for what is politely described by The Economist as "cordial relations" with the religious-nationalist segment of the Russian elite.

After a rather moderate career as an expert-diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kotzias emerged as a prominent figure in the greek public sphere over the last years, when he supported some of the most populist explanations of the greek crisis.

In Kotzias' worldview, modern Germany should be blamed almost for everything. In fact, Kotzias regards the Eurozone crisis just as a Berlin-motivated plan to transform countries like Greece into modern German protectorates. The title of his last book is more than clear: Greece, a Debt Colony – European Empire and German primacy.

The problem in Kotzias' case is that he has crossed the line more than once and has pointed out some analogies between Nazi Germany and modern Germany of Angela Merkel. This has offered him some recognition among far-right parties and opinion-makers in Greece.

Here are some of his quotes:

-Germany believes that she found some free space to march in the Middle East and control Cyprus, the 'unsinkable aircraft carrier', geo-economically. To set foot in where Hitlerism failed to reach. (Epikaira Magazine, 18 April 2013)

-Germans want to pop up in the Middle East, a place that they failed to conquer under the guidance of (General) Romel. (Epikaira Magazine, 26 April 2013)

-Nowadays, Germany doesn't display biological racism, as it did during 19th century and in some part of the 20th century. However, Germany spreads financial racism and nationalism. (Interview in Eleytherotypia, 19 April 2014)

-Germany, in order to play its new role, which is desired by its own dominant forces, continuously reconsiders its history, aiming -among other things- to get rid of its responsibility for crimes it committed in the 20th century. (Personal Blog, 1 March 2014)

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