German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock refused to pay Poland’s claim Monday for multimillion-dollar reparations for damage suffered at the hands of Nazi Germany during World War II.
Baerbock, visiting Warsaw to participate in a security conference, stressed that the monetary issue is closed and that Germany must face the “perpetual duty” of remembering the suffering it inflicted on Poland in the middle of the last century, during the second conflict. on a world scale (1939-1945).
“Germany maintains its historical responsibility without extenuating circumstances”declared the German multinational, underlining the shame that Berlin feels for the “inhuman campaign of oppression” and “pure annihilation” that the Nazi regime imposed on the neighboring country.
“You can see how present this pain is to this day, not only among those who are 90 years old, but also among those who are nine, because the pain is inherited from generation to generation,” Baerbock told his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau. .
The Polish Government reiterated on Monday its requests to Germany for reparation for the damage suffered during the Second World War and signed a diplomatic note that is already on its way to Berlin, in which it requests “compensation for the material and non-material damage caused to the Polish State”.
Although the head of Polish diplomacy did not reveal the exact amount requested, the Government of Warsaw presented on September 1, on the 83rd anniversary of the start of the war, an extensive report in which it estimates that the economic damage caused by the Nazi Germany to the country currently corresponds to 6.2 billion zlotys (1.3 billion euros).
Poland to ask Germany for billions in compensation for World War II
The publication of the report was at the center of national ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the start of the war, which began on September 1, 1939, with the bombing and invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, followed by five years of occupation that caused the death of six million people, including three million Jews.
Berlin considers the matter closed, arguing that compensation was paid to Eastern bloc nations in the years after the war, while the territories Poland lost in the east when the borders were redrawn were compensated with some of the territories that previously belonged to Germany. war.
But the Polish government rejects a 1953 declaration made by the country’s then communist leaders, under pressure from the Soviet Union, agreeing not to make any further demands on Germany.
According to Rau, the note sent to Berlin on Monday expressed his opinion that the two sides must act “without delay” regarding the effects of the 1939-1945 German occupation in a “durable and complex, as well as legally and materially” manner. . Union”.
This includes German monetary reparations, in addition to the return of looted works of art, archives and bank deposits, said the Polish multinational, considering that Berlin should also strive to inform German society about the “true” dimension of the war and its consequences. disastrous effects. in Poland.
Warsaw affirms that the payment of reparations would strengthen bilateral relations, cementing them in truth and justice, and putting an end to painful chapters of the past.
The Polish government further argues that the country was the first casualty of the war and was never fully compensated by neighboring Germany, which is now one of its main partners in the European Union.
Source: Observadora
