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Poland insists on German reparations payments: "Rejection as the beginning of a discussion"

2023-02-06T08:43:56.844Z


Germany does not want to compensate Poland for the destruction of World War II – Berlin recently made that clear. But that is not accepted in the neighboring country.


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Destructions in Warsaw (1945)

Photo:

AP

The ongoing dispute over World War II reparations enters the next round.

Despite the German rejection of the demand, Poland continues to insist on talks on the topic.

"We do not see this rejection as the end, but as the beginning of a discussion that may end in a compromise," said the Polish ambassador in Berlin, Dariusz Pawlos, the editorial network Germany (RND).

"The Federal Government's statement was very brief and resulted in the statement that the claims were not justified." The disappointment was very great.

"We expect that we will talk to the German side about the consequences of the Second World War," said Pawlos.

According to its own statements, Poland received a formal rejection from the federal government at the beginning of January.

"According to the German government, the issue of reparations and compensation for war losses remains closed and does not intend to enter into negotiations," the Polish Foreign Ministry said.

In October last year, Poland's national-conservative PiS government issued a diplomatic note demanding 1.3 trillion euros in compensation for the damage Poland suffered during World War II and Nazi Germany's occupation.

Criticism of the treatment of Nazi victims

The federal government points out that the communist Polish leadership had declared in 1953 that it would refrain from German reparations.

Poland's national-conservative government, however, has challenged the validity of the relevant agreement, arguing that Warsaw acted under pressure from the Soviet Union at the time.

Ambassador Pawlos now criticized the unequal treatment of Nazi victims in different countries as "unacceptable".

»At the time, the Polish victims of National Socialism received a one-off payment that can really only be described as a drop in the ocean.« In Israel, for example, those affected received benefits until the end of their lives.

jok/dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2023-02-06

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