Dariusz Pawłoś made the comment in an interview with the German broadcaster Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) on Tuesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The Polish ambassador noted: “We set out our demands in our diplomatic note. The statement by the [German] federal government was very brief and concluded by saying that our claim for compensation [for World War II] was unjustified.”
Pawłoś added: “Our disappointment was huge, because we expect to hold discussions with the German side about the effects of World War II.”
The diplomat stressed that “there is no bilateral agreement between Germany and Poland on this matter.”
‘It’s the beginning, not the end’
Poland’s ambassador to Germany went on to say: “We don’t regard Germany’s rebuff as the end, but as the beginning of a discussion that may end in a compromise.”
Pawłoś also told RND that the Polish government was “preparing an abridged, German-language version of the report on the wartime destruction of Poland, which we’ll send to German politicians and scientists and which will also be available on the internet.”
“Our aim is to foster understanding of this issue,” the diplomat said.
The Polish ambassador added: “the war in Ukraine in particular confronts us again with the issue of war crimes and reminds us that such crimes must be punished, no matter when and where they have been committed.”
Poland demands WWII damages from Germany
In September last year, 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.
In October, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau signed a formal note to the government in Berlin, demanding compensation for losses Poland sustained during the war.
According to the German government, "the issue of reparations and compensation for World War II losses remains closed” and Berlin "does not intend to enter into negotiations on the matter," officials have said.
(pm)
Source: PAP, tvp.info, wnp.pl