Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted on Tuesday that Germany has rejected talks on reparations over WWII.
The ministry pointed out that, according to the German government, the issue was closed, according to Reuters reporting.
A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed that the ministry responded to Poland’s request sent in October last year, but did not reveal any details about diplomatic correspondence.
According to Warsaw’s estimates, Germany caused damage worth some USD 1.4 trillion to Poland in WWII. Warsaw called on Germany to pay reparations, but Berlin insists all WWII financial claims have been settled.
Approximately six million Poles were killed in WWII, including roughly three million Polish Jews, and parts of the country were razed to the ground, including Warsaw.
Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland, stressed that Germany’s answer “shows an absolutely disrespectful attitude towards Poland and Poles.”
In an interview with the Polish Press Agency, he stressed “Germany does not pursue a friendly policy towards Poland, they want to build their sphere of influence here and treat Poland as a vassal state.”
Dialogue to continue
Answering to interviewer, he noted that Poland would continue dialogue with Germany on compensation “through international organisations.”
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out in a statement “according to the German government, the matter of reparations and compensation for war losses remains closed, and the German government does not intend to enter into negotiations on this matter.”
The ministry stressed that “Poland will continue its efforts to settle debts resulting from German aggression and occupation in the years 1939-1945.”
Annalena Baerbock, German Minister of Foreign Affairs, noted in October last year during her visit to Warsaw that Berlin considers the issue of reparations to be closed.
Under communist rule, Poland relinquished war reparations claims in 1953 as the former Soviet Union pressured the country to do so to free its satellite East Germany from liabilities.
According to the Polish government, the agreement in question is invalid because Poland was not able to negotiate fair compensation. Warsaw has been pushing for reparations from Germany since 2015, stressing that Germany caused damage to Poland in WWII.
Warsaw announced on Tuesday that it called on the UN to help it receive war reparations from Germany.
