Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, 41, talks to German news magazine Spiegel about his country's strained relations with Germany, possible reparations for the Nazi era and Athens' struggle to emerge from its debt crisis.

SPIEGEL: Many in Germany currently describe your country as a den of iniquity plagued by nepotism, corruption and tax evasion. Athens has responded with Nazi-related accusations. How strained are the relations between the two countries?

Dimitris Droutsas: Greece's relationship with Germany is excellent, as always. Over the past few days, the atmosphere has been characterized by tensions on a media level, on both sides. Our citizens are facing hard times, and they know that. They also have the feeling, however, that they have already achieved a certain amount. Nevertheless, they feel pressure and hear mainly criticism, sometimes also scorn and ridicule. This has caused emotions to boil over - and led to misunderstandings.

SPIEGEL: Greece's deputy prime minister, Theodoros Pangalos, couldn't help mentioning that the German occupying forces during World War II took the Greeks' gold and "never paid it back." And the president of the Greek parliament, Philippos Petsalnikos, even summoned the German ambassador.

Droutsas: This shows that the Greek population felt genuinely annoyed. But I am certain that this does not reflect the true relationship between the two countries.

SPIEGEL: During the German occupation, Hitler forced the Greeks to grant a "war loan" to pay for the Wehrmacht, and when the Germans withdrew, the remaining debt was the equivalent of roughly €5 billion ($6.8 billion). Is the bill still unpaid?