Issue of German reparations to Poland ‘closed,’ says Polish foreign minister

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Thursday said that the issue of receiving any reparations from Germany for damages sustained by Poland during World War II has been closed.

“Germany admits that it owes a moral debt to Poland. We strive to ensure that this feeling of guilt finds material expression. Since (opposition and previously ruling party Law and Justice) PiS did not solve anything for eight years, we think that now we need to let Germany figure out how to restore moral order, restore Poles' feeling that the Germans are sorry and want to do something about it,” Sikorski told public television TVP Info.

The PiS government had demanded $1.3 trillion in reparations.

Sikorski said that Poland had "already received reparations in the Potsdam treaty at the end of World War II."

“We have ended this unnecessary cold war with European institutions, with Germany, because of which we cannot spend money from the National Reconstruction Plan like other countries,” Sikorski said, when asked about the reactivation of the Weimar Triangle format.

He emphasized that "Poland needs money from the National Recovery Plan (KPO) to complete our modernization, which has already been dramatically delayed."

Last week, Sikorski gave an interview to the German weekly Der Spiegel on the issue of war reparations from Germany. “This is an important topic for us,” Sikorski said. "Poland was a victim of World War II twice: from the German side and when Soviet troops imposed communism on us."

Compensation could consist of “the reconstruction by the Germans of one of the destroyed buildings in Warsaw, perhaps the Saxon Palace. Germany could also finance medical care for survivors or invest in our countries' defense capabilities so that we can defend ourselves together against Putin," he said.

After the publication of Sikorski’s comments, the Germany Foreign Ministry said: "There are no limits to Germany's responsibility, work for commemoration and reconciliation with Poland."

“At the same time, the position of the Federal Government, known for years, is that in our opinion the issue of reparations is closed," it added.

Earlier this week, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, PiS leader, this week accused Germany of a "racist attitude" toward Poles regarding reparations. “Germany has not changed its relations with Poles and Prime Minister Donald Tusk is at the service of Germany," he added.