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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — German President Joachim Gauck is to visit a village in northwestern Greece where German troops massacred dozens of villagers during World War II, as part of a three-day trip to the country combining talks with politicians with efforts to bring closure to the wounds from the German wartime occupation of Greece.
Anti-German sentiment has increased in Greece in recent years, as Germany has been one of the most ardent proponents of austerity measures imposed in return for billions of euros in rescue loans for the financially stricken country. Germany is the largest single contributor to Greece's bailout.
Gauck is to accompany Greek President Karolos Papoulias in a wreath-laying ceremony in the village of Ligiades, where Nazi troops executed villagers in 1943 in reprisal for a partisan attack.
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