President Karol Nawrocki has said that his meetings with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz focused on the future of the European Union as well as the question of redress for the damage inflicted on Poland during the Second World War. “I emphasised the issues that unite us, but also Poland’s expectations,” he noted.
President Nawrocki paid an official visit to Germany, where he held talks with both Steinmeier and Merz.
In a statement released on the X platform, Nawrocki described the discussions as significant, highlighting that they covered “regional security challenges, the future of the European Union, prospects for Polish-German relations, and the issue of compensation for the harm caused to Poland during the Second World War.”
“I made it clear that I underlined not only the matters that bring us together, but also Poland’s expectations of the German side,” the Polish head of state underlined.
Earlier in the day, German presidential spokesperson Cerstin Gammelin reported that during the meeting, Steinmeier reiterated Berlin’s stance that the question of reparations is, in Germany’s view, legally settled. This has been the consistent position of the German government.
Germany has repeatedly declared that the matter of war reparations is closed under international law. However, Knut Abraham, the German government’s commissioner for relations with Poland, argued that a “modern form of response” to the historical responsibility towards Poland is still needed, for instance, through closer cooperation on security.
Speaking on 1 September at Westerplatte, President Nawrocki stated that reparations for the Second World War are essential to “build a partnership with our western neighbour founded on truth and good relations.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz assured Polish President Karol Nawrocki that, in the face of Russian aggression, Germany “stands firmly and unwaveringly at Poland’s side,” government spokesman Sebastian Hille said on Tuesday.
President Nawrocki was received at the Chancellery in Berlin for talks with Merz, following an earlier meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
According to sources, the Chancellor of Germany remains a resolute ally of Poland in confronting the threat posed by Russia. His statement also underlined that “supporting reconciliation with Poland after the atrocities of the Second World War and the German occupation remains a historic responsibility for the federal government.”
At his meeting with Nawrocki, President Steinmeier stressed that, from Berlin’s perspective, the question of wartime reparations is legally closed, presidential spokeswoman Cerstin Gammelin reported. She added on the X platform that, “in response to the Polish president’s demand for reparations, the German president underlined that for Germany this matter has, in legal terms, been definitively settled.” This has long been the German government’s position.
Gammelin also noted that Steinmeier emphasised the importance of joint remembrance of the past as a continuing responsibility shared by both nations.
The two presidents also discussed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. They agreed on the need for continued support for Kyiv and on “further strengthening” NATO’s eastern flank.
During the talks, President Nawrocki invited Steinmeier to visit Warsaw. The German president accepted the invitation.
This is President Nawrocki’s first visit to Germany since taking office. His delegation includes presidential minister Marcin Przydacz and deputy foreign minister Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski.
As Minister Przydacz explained beforehand, the agenda included security cooperation, European Union affairs, transatlantic relations, and bilateral issues.
Later the same day, the Polish president travelled to Paris for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Source: PAP
Photo: Mikołaj Bujak
Tomasz Modrzejewski
