Poland suffered the most at the hands of Germany during World War II, and felt the devastation for decades after the war ended, so they cannot say that the compensation case is closed, Deputy Foreign Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk wrote on Friday on his website. the. from the British Daily Mail.

“We are proud that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine”

As he pointed out, despite the hardships, memories of World War II are crucial, as the attack on Westerplatte was followed by six years of terror, culminating in the Holocaust, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and attempts to liquidate Poland and Polish Jews. , and the Polish nation was once again wiped off the map.

Remembering World War II means not only remembering the scale of devastation wrought by the most brutal regime the world has ever seen, but also remembering the people and individuals who suffered as a result of German barbarism. Many of these victims are still alive – able to relate what they witnessed and preserve the stories of those they saw killed – and continue to suffer material loss and physical injury. They never received the compensation they should have

– emphasizes Arkadiusz Mularczyk.

The deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that Poland suffered the most of all European countries at the hands of Germany, and it would take 30 years for Poland to return to pre-war levels of population and GDP.

Although the loss of human potential has tragically affected Poland for decades, Poland’s recovery has accelerated in recent years. We are proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, and our country warmly welcomes Ukrainian refugees fleeing Putin’s wrath. We are strengthening our armed forces and rearming the Ukrainian military while developing our armed forces so that we will not be subject to another occupation. Our economy has been the most prosperous economy in Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union, so much so that Poland’s economy is projected to overtake that of France by the end of the decade.

– lists the deputy head of Polish diplomacy.

Bittersweet success

But he emphasizes that these successes, while real, are bittersweet when one considers how far Poland could have come had it not been for World War II. And that is why a year ago the Polish government published “Report on losses suffered by Poland as a result of German aggression and occupation during World War II.”

Due to the loss of life, financial loss, destruction of infrastructure, theft of state property and irreparable cultural damage that Poland suffered, Germany has incurred losses equivalent to £1.1 trillion. Since the totals were published in September 2022, this figure is no longer in dispute. This is due to the extraordinary achievements of the experts who wrote the report and the internationally accepted model they used to calculate Poland’s losses.

– explains Arkadiusz Mularczyk.

He argued, recalling the anniversary of the Polish invasion and the publication of the report, we can see once again that one country wants to dominate another, trying to obstruct justice. He pointed out that since the report was published, Poland had tried to enter into dialogue with Germany to resolve the issue, but they refused to discuss the compensation to be paid to Poland, and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the matter was “closed” and instructed the German ambassador to ignore the Polish ambassador.

Any claim that the compensation issue has been resolved is a deliberate and malicious misreading of history, based on false information and willful ignorance.

Mularczyk stressed.

“At the forefront of the international agenda

He explained that usually Germany’s position was based on the alleged rejection of claims by the Polish communist authorities in 1953 or the “two plus four” agreement in 1990, which led to German reunification and supposedly settled Germany’s international obligations with respect to World War II, but as he emphasized that Poland did not participate in this process, so it could not refer to the issue of war reparations.

The issue of reparations is high on the international agenda as we all come together to make Russia pay for their horrific and devastating invasion of Ukraine. However, in international affairs, nothing happens without negotiation and dialogue. Important to ensure European solidarity and convey the message to Russia that illegal wars must not go unpunished, Germany is taking the necessary steps to discuss this issue with us openly and honestly.

Mularczyk concluded.

READ ALSO: We Know the Contents of the Full Mularczyk Report! Losses due to German crimes in Poland are estimated at more than PLN 6 billion!

just/PAP