Last week, Poland’s Foreign Minister gave an interview to the German weekly Der Spiegel. Radosław Sikorski underlined his willingness to rebuild a relationship of trust between Warsaw and Berlin while also emphasising the need to settle the issue of war reparations.
“I see a great willingness to cooperate on the German side” – Sikorski explained, stressing that “rebuilding trust takes time”. This comment referred to the eight years under Law and Justice rule in Warsaw, during which relations between both countries were tense.
„There will be no more taunts against Germans from the government” – Sikorski assured, adding that “the demonisation of democratic Germany” will end because the new government does not want “any artificial hostility with our neighbours”. The Polish official told Der Spiegel that “Poles and Germans are now moving in the same direction”.
Sikorski also praised Germany’s stance regarding Russia. While Berlin was criticised for many years for its willingness to pursue “business as usual” relations with Moscow, the last two years convinced a large part of the German political elite to rethink this foreign affairs strategy.
When asked about German-Polish relations in the context of the demanded war reparations for the numerous crimes perpetrated by Nazi Germany on occupied Polish soil between 1939 and 1945, the Polish politician underlined the “flawed memory” of the Germans surrounding WWII. “[Germans] remember about the Holocaust, about the blockade of Leningrad and Stalingrad, but forgot what they did to the Polish civil population” – he lamented.
When asked whether Poland would give up demanding EUR 1.3 trillion in war reparations, Sikorski replied that he would be happy to accept a money transfer. “We will even give you a discount if we get the money by the end of the year. But seriously: in times of war and crisis, money is a difficult topic. We are asking the German government to prepare a package that will convince our public opinion and show that Germany is ready to settle this issue” – he explained.
On 1 September 2022, “The report on the losses suffered by Poland as a result of the German aggression and occupation during the Second World War, 1939-1945” was published. The latter was prepared by the Parliamentary Team for Estimating the Amount of Compensation Due to Poland from Germany for Damages Caused During World War II, led by the Law and Justice MP Arkadiusz Mularczyk. A group of 30 scientists, including historians, economists, property appraisers, and reviewers contributed to the large document. The abridged version of the report is available here.
Image: X (@PolandMFA)
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
