Shortly before the visit of the head of German diplomacy Annalena Baerbock to Warsaw, the Polish government took another step in terms of reparations from Germany. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau signed a diplomatic note on Monday, October 3, which will be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin. – This expresses the conviction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland that the parties must take immediate action aimed at a permanent, comprehensive and final, legal and material settlement of the problem of the consequences of the German aggression and occupation in 1939-1945 – said Zbigniew Rau.
According to a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, the German Foreign Ministry would not comment on Poland’s announcement.
Repair Report
The invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany on September 1, 1939 marked the start of World War II and at least 55 million people died. Some estimates put the figure as high as 80 million. About six million Poles died as a result of German aggression and occupation. Warsaw was almost completely destroyed.
In recent years, the PiS government has repeatedly raised the issue of reparations. On September 1, a report on Poland’s losses was presented, estimating it at over PLN 6 billion 220 billion (about EUR 1.3 billion). The report was prepared by a team led by PiS deputy Arkadiusz Mularczyk. PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński reiterated his demand for compensation.
Poland’s head of diplomacy, Zbigniew Rau, did not specify a specific amount. However, he clearly stressed that these regulations must include the payment of compensation by Germany for the material and immaterial damages caused to the Polish state by the aggression and occupation, compensation for the victims of this aggression and occupation and their family members for damages and losses, as well as a systemic solution for the problem of plundering Polish culture and archives.
Annalena Baerbock in Warsaw
On Monday, October 3, Annalena Baerbock came to Warsaw for a visit. At the German Embassy, he will attend the celebrations for 32 years of German reunification and give a speech.
On Tuesday morning, Germany’s head of diplomacy will meet with Minister Rau. A spokesperson for the Polish Foreign Ministry informed that the talks would concern important issues of Polish-German relations, “and the diplomatic note is probably one of the most important.”
The government in Berlin rejected Polish demands for reparations, repeating that the legal issues were closed. Berlin emphasized, however, that Germany’s responsibility for the crimes committed during the Second World War would never be a closed issue in moral and political terms.
(DPA/house)
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