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Poland sends diplomatic note to 50 countries as it seeks WWII damages from Germany: deputy FM

23.11.2022 14:00
Poland has sent a diplomatic note to about 50 NATO, European Union and Council of Europe countries to brief them on its efforts to secure compensation from Germany for World War II, a Polish deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Arkadiusz Mularczyk
Arkadiusz MularczykPR24

Arkadiusz Mularczyk said the document provided information on the Polish government's push for more than PLN 6 trillion in compensation from Berlin for losses Poland suffered during Nazi Germany's WWII invasion and occupation.

"Our aim is to start an international debate on the observance of international law, the rule of law and Germany's respect for human rights," Mularczyk told reporters.

Mularczyk said at the end of last month that the issue of compensation from Germany for World War II losses was a top priority for the government in Warsaw and one of its biggest challenges since the fall of communism in 1989.

The Polish foreign ministry disclosed last month that, in its recent diplomatic note to the government in Berlin, it demanded that Germany pay Poland PLN 6.22 trillion (EUR 1.3 trillion) in compensation for World War II losses.

Mularczyk, who is a senior politician with Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, told Polish Radio in late October that statements made by German officials in recent months that the issue of war reparations for Poland was “closed,” were “premature.”

Mularczyk, who led an effort to compile an extensive report on war reparations, told Polish Radio in an interview at the time that the government in Berlin “needs to be given time to carefully examine the diplomatic note on compensation for Poland.”

He added: “These are thorny, complex issues of a political, diplomatic, economic and analytical nature. I believe the German government needs at least a few weeks to conclude that they simply should sit down for talks with Poland soon.”

Mularczyk told Polish Radio earlier last month that Warsaw expected Berlin to reply to the diplomatic note "within two to three months."

Push for WWII damages from Germany

On September 1, Poland's government announced that the losses suffered by the country at the hands of Nazi Germany during World War II totalled PLN 6.22 trillion (EUR 1.3 trillion) and that it would demand compensation from Berlin. 

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said last month: “I am convinced that we will receive reparations from Germany, although it won’t happen quickly.”

He added: “Even the most difficult journey begins with the first step.” 

On October 3, Polish Foreign Minister Zbgniew Rau signed a formal note to the government in Berlin, demanding compensation for losses Poland sustained during the war.

On October 4, Germany's top diplomat Annalena Baerbock said during a visit to Warsaw that the question of WWII reparations for Poland was closed, according to media reports at the time.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was quoted as saying in a media interview in September that the issue of WWII reparations for Poland "has been settled conclusively" under international law. 

(gs)

Source: IAR, polskieradio24.pl