Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, held talks in Krzyżowa as part of events marking the 35th anniversary of the Polish-German Treaty on Good Neighbourly Relations and Friendly Cooperation, a landmark agreement that helped shape relations after the Cold War.
Sikorski said Krzyżowa holds a special place in Polish-German ties because it stands for reconciliation after one of Europe’s darkest periods.
He said the Reconciliation Mass held there in November 1989 showed that even nations burdened by painful history can build a shared future based on mutual respect and a European outlook.
He added that the values associated with the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe, including dialogue, solidarity and Europe itself, require constant effort and cannot be treated as permanent achievements.
He also stressed the importance of presenting reliable historical knowledge, arguing that such work remains essential at a time when Russia is promoting its aggressive view of history and power.
The Krzyżowa Foundation was founded some months after the Polish-German Reconciliation Mass had been celebrated.
Wadephul said Russia’s war against Ukraine remains the greatest challenge to peace and freedom in Europe. He said Germany and Poland stand together with Ukrainians and that firm support for Ukraine is a matter of security as well as a consequence of history.
He warned that Russia continues its daily missile attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities, and said there is a risk that tensions in the Middle East could divert international attention away from Ukraine while helping Russia on energy markets.
He said the response from Poland and Germany is clear and that neither country will step back.
The meeting took place at the Krzyżowa Foundation’s International Youth Meeting Centre. Sikorski said he had wanted to come to Krzyżowa during the treaty anniversary year because institutions such as the foundation are among the best investments in the future of Polish-German relations.
He pointed to its work with young people, including participants from the Western Balkans and Ukraine, and said the foundation had also taken in about 100 Ukrainian refugees after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Sikorski also highlighted the Polish-German history textbook Europe. Our History, which he said remains an important tool for sharing sound historical knowledge.
Krzyżowa entered modern European history on November 12, 1989, when Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl attended the Reconciliation Mass there, a service later seen as a breakthrough in relations between the two neighbors.
During the sign of peace, the two men embraced, creating an image that became one of the defining symbols of reconciliation in postwar Europe.
Sharing the sign of peace, which is usually a handshake, is a gesture exchanged during Mass in various Christian traditions, including Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans.
The site had earlier been linked to the wartime German anti-Nazi resistance group known as the Kreisau Circle, which met there in secret during World War II. Today, the former estate houses the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe and one of Europe’s largest international youth meeting centers.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Michał Owczarek.