Poland Demands Reparations From Germany In World War Ii

Poland’s top politician said Thursday that the government will seek about $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany for the Nazi invasion and occupation of his country in World War Two. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice party, announced the huge demand as he published a long-awaited report on the cost to the country of years of Nazi German occupation as it marks 83 years since the start of World War II. “Not only have we prepared the report, but we have also made the decision on further steps,” Kaczynski said at the presentation of the report. “We will turn to Germany to start negotiations on reparations,” Kaczynski said, adding that it would be a “long and not easy road” but “one day it will bring success.” He insisted the move would serve “true Polish-German reconciliation” based on “truth”. He argued that the German economy is capable of footing the bill. Germany maintains that reparations were paid to Eastern Bloc nations in the years after the war, while territory lost to Poland in the East as borders were redrawn was compensated with some of Germany’s pre-war territory. Berlin describes the issue as closed. Germany’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the government’s position remains “unchanged” as “the issue of reparations has been concluded”. “Poland long ago, in 1953, renounced further reparations and has repeatedly reaffirmed this renunciation,” the ministry said in an emailed response to an Associated Press query about the new Polish report. “This is an important basis for today’s European order. Germany lives up to its responsibility for World War II politically and morally.” Poland’s right-wing government argues that the country that was the first casualty of the war has not been fully compensated by neighboring Germany, which is now one of its most important partners within the European Union. “Germany has never really given an account for its crimes against Poland,” Kaczynski said, arguing that many Germans who committed war crimes lived with impunity in Germany after the war. Top leaders, including Kaczynski, who is Poland’s chief policymaker, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended the ceremonial unveiling of the exhibition at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, rebuilt from wartime ruins. The launch of the three-volume exhibition was the centerpiece of national commemorations of the war that began on September 1, 1939, with the bombing and invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany that followed more than five years of violent occupation. The head of the petition group, lawmaker Arkadiusz Mularczyk, said it was impossible to put an economic value on the loss of some 5.2 million lives he blamed on the German occupation. It listed losses in infrastructure, industry, agriculture, culture, deportations to Germany for forced labor, and attempts to convert Polish children into Germans. A team of more than 30 economists, historians and other experts have been working on the report since 2017. The issue has created bilateral tensions. The war was “one of the most terrible tragedies in our history,” President Andrzej Duda said during ceremonies on the Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk, one of the first places to be attacked in the Nazi invasion. “Not only because it took away our freedom, not only because it took away the state, but also because this war meant millions of victims to the citizens of Poland and irreparable losses to our homeland and nation,” Duda said. In Germany, the government’s official for German-Polish cooperation, Dietmar Nietan, said in a statement that September 1 “remains a day of guilt and shame for Germany which reminds us again and again not to forget the crimes committed by Germany” are the “darkest chapter in our history” and continue to affect bilateral relations. The reconciliation offered by the people in Poland is “the basis on which we can look to the future together in a united Europe,” Nietan said. Poland’s government rejects a 1953 declaration by the country’s then-communist leaders, under pressure from the Soviet Union, agreeing not to make further claims to Germany. An opposition lawmaker, Grzegorz Schetina, says the report is just a “game in domestic politics” and insists Poland must build good relations with Berlin. In a country where there were still bullet holes from the war in houses not so long ago, recent surveys have shown that Polish public opinion is about equally divided on the issue of reparations. Many families still keep alive the memories of family members lost in the war. About 6 million Polish citizens, including 3 million Jews, were killed in the war. Some of them were victims of the Soviet Red Army invading from the east. ————- AP writers Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

title: “Poland Demands Reparations From Germany In World War Ii Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-30” author: “Dionne Mcavoy”

Poland’s top politician said Thursday that the government will seek about $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany for the Nazi invasion and occupation of his country in World War Two. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice party, announced the huge demand as he published a long-awaited report on the cost to the country of years of Nazi German occupation as it marks 83 years since the start of World War II. “Not only have we prepared the report, but we have also made the decision on further steps,” Kaczynski said at the presentation of the report. “We will turn to Germany to start negotiations on reparations,” Kaczynski said, adding that it would be a “long and not easy road” but “one day it will bring success.” He insisted the move would serve “true Polish-German reconciliation” based on “truth”. He argued that the German economy is capable of footing the bill. Germany maintains that reparations were paid to Eastern Bloc nations in the years after the war, while territory lost to Poland in the East as borders were redrawn was compensated with some of Germany’s pre-war territory. Berlin describes the issue as closed. Germany’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the government’s position remains “unchanged” as “the issue of reparations has been concluded”. “Poland long ago, in 1953, renounced further reparations and has repeatedly reaffirmed this renunciation,” the ministry said in an emailed response to an Associated Press query about the new Polish report. “This is an important basis for today’s European order. Germany lives up to its responsibility for World War II politically and morally.” Poland’s right-wing government argues that the country that was the first casualty of the war has not been fully compensated by neighboring Germany, which is now one of its most important partners within the European Union. “Germany has never really given an account for its crimes against Poland,” Kaczynski said, arguing that many Germans who committed war crimes lived with impunity in Germany after the war. Top leaders, including Kaczynski, who is Poland’s chief policymaker, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended the ceremonial unveiling of the exhibition at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, rebuilt from wartime ruins. The launch of the three-volume exhibition was the centerpiece of national commemorations of the war that began on September 1, 1939, with the bombing and invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany that followed more than five years of violent occupation. The head of the petition group, lawmaker Arkadiusz Mularczyk, said it was impossible to put an economic value on the loss of some 5.2 million lives he blamed on the German occupation. It listed losses in infrastructure, industry, agriculture, culture, deportations to Germany for forced labor, and attempts to convert Polish children into Germans. A team of more than 30 economists, historians and other experts have been working on the report since 2017. The issue has created bilateral tensions. The war was “one of the most terrible tragedies in our history,” President Andrzej Duda said during ceremonies on the Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk, one of the first places to be attacked in the Nazi invasion. “Not only because it took away our freedom, not only because it took away the state, but also because this war meant millions of victims to the citizens of Poland and irreparable losses to our homeland and nation,” Duda said. In Germany, the government’s official for German-Polish cooperation, Dietmar Nietan, said in a statement that September 1 “remains a day of guilt and shame for Germany which reminds us again and again not to forget the crimes committed by Germany” are the “darkest chapter in our history” and continue to affect bilateral relations. The reconciliation offered by the people in Poland is “the basis on which we can look to the future together in a united Europe,” Nietan said. Poland’s government rejects a 1953 declaration by the country’s then-communist leaders, under pressure from the Soviet Union, agreeing not to make further claims to Germany. An opposition lawmaker, Grzegorz Schetina, says the report is just a “game in domestic politics” and insists Poland must build good relations with Berlin. In a country where there were still bullet holes from the war in houses not so long ago, recent surveys have shown that Polish public opinion is about equally divided on the issue of reparations. Many families still keep alive the memories of family members lost in the war. About 6 million Polish citizens, including 3 million Jews, were killed in the war. Some of them were victims of the Soviet Red Army invading from the east. ————- AP writers Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

title: “Poland Demands Reparations From Germany In World War Ii Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Walter James”

Poland’s top politician said Thursday that the government will seek about $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany for the Nazi invasion and occupation of his country in World War Two. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice party, announced the huge demand as he published a long-awaited report on the cost to the country of years of Nazi German occupation as it marks 83 years since the start of World War II. “Not only have we prepared the report, but we have also made the decision on further steps,” Kaczynski said at the presentation of the report. “We will turn to Germany to start negotiations on reparations,” Kaczynski said, adding that it would be a “long and not easy road” but “one day it will bring success.” He insisted the move would serve “true Polish-German reconciliation” based on “truth”. He argued that the German economy is capable of footing the bill. Germany maintains that reparations were paid to Eastern Bloc nations in the years after the war, while territory lost to Poland in the East as borders were redrawn was compensated with some of Germany’s pre-war territory. Berlin describes the issue as closed. Germany’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the government’s position remains “unchanged” as “the issue of reparations has been concluded”. “Poland long ago, in 1953, renounced further reparations and has repeatedly reaffirmed this renunciation,” the ministry said in an emailed response to an Associated Press query about the new Polish report. “This is an important basis for today’s European order. Germany lives up to its responsibility for World War II politically and morally.” Poland’s right-wing government argues that the country that was the first casualty of the war has not been fully compensated by neighboring Germany, which is now one of its most important partners within the European Union. “Germany has never really given an account for its crimes against Poland,” Kaczynski said, arguing that many Germans who committed war crimes lived with impunity in Germany after the war. Top leaders, including Kaczynski, who is Poland’s chief policymaker, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended the ceremonial unveiling of the exhibition at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, rebuilt from wartime ruins. The launch of the three-volume exhibition was the centerpiece of national commemorations of the war that began on September 1, 1939, with the bombing and invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany that followed more than five years of violent occupation. The head of the petition group, lawmaker Arkadiusz Mularczyk, said it was impossible to put an economic value on the loss of some 5.2 million lives he blamed on the German occupation. It listed losses in infrastructure, industry, agriculture, culture, deportations to Germany for forced labor, and attempts to convert Polish children into Germans. A team of more than 30 economists, historians and other experts have been working on the report since 2017. The issue has created bilateral tensions. The war was “one of the most terrible tragedies in our history,” President Andrzej Duda said during ceremonies on the Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk, one of the first places to be attacked in the Nazi invasion. “Not only because it took away our freedom, not only because it took away the state, but also because this war meant millions of victims to the citizens of Poland and irreparable losses to our homeland and nation,” Duda said. In Germany, the government’s official for German-Polish cooperation, Dietmar Nietan, said in a statement that September 1 “remains a day of guilt and shame for Germany which reminds us again and again not to forget the crimes committed by Germany” are the “darkest chapter in our history” and continue to affect bilateral relations. The reconciliation offered by the people in Poland is “the basis on which we can look to the future together in a united Europe,” Nietan said. Poland’s government rejects a 1953 declaration by the country’s then-communist leaders, under pressure from the Soviet Union, agreeing not to make further claims to Germany. An opposition lawmaker, Grzegorz Schetina, says the report is just a “game in domestic politics” and insists Poland must build good relations with Berlin. In a country where there were still bullet holes from the war in houses not so long ago, recent surveys have shown that Polish public opinion is about equally divided on the issue of reparations. Many families still keep alive the memories of family members lost in the war. About 6 million Polish citizens, including 3 million Jews, were killed in the war. Some of them were victims of the Soviet Red Army invading from the east. ————- AP writers Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

title: “Poland Demands Reparations From Germany In World War Ii Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-02” author: “William Conner”

Poland’s top politician said Thursday that the government will seek about $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany for the Nazi invasion and occupation of his country in World War Two. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice party, announced the huge demand as he published a long-awaited report on the cost to the country of years of Nazi German occupation as it marks 83 years since the start of World War II. “Not only have we prepared the report, but we have also made the decision on further steps,” Kaczynski said at the presentation of the report. “We will turn to Germany to start negotiations on reparations,” Kaczynski said, adding that it would be a “long and not easy road” but “one day it will bring success.” He insisted the move would serve “true Polish-German reconciliation” based on “truth”. He argued that the German economy is capable of footing the bill. Germany maintains that reparations were paid to Eastern Bloc nations in the years after the war, while territory lost to Poland in the East as borders were redrawn was compensated with some of Germany’s pre-war territory. Berlin describes the issue as closed. Germany’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the government’s position remains “unchanged” as “the issue of reparations has been concluded”. “Poland long ago, in 1953, renounced further reparations and has repeatedly reaffirmed this renunciation,” the ministry said in an emailed response to an Associated Press query about the new Polish report. “This is an important basis for today’s European order. Germany lives up to its responsibility for World War II politically and morally.” Poland’s right-wing government argues that the country that was the first casualty of the war has not been fully compensated by neighboring Germany, which is now one of its most important partners within the European Union. “Germany has never really given an account for its crimes against Poland,” Kaczynski said, arguing that many Germans who committed war crimes lived with impunity in Germany after the war. Top leaders, including Kaczynski, who is Poland’s chief policymaker, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended the ceremonial unveiling of the exhibition at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, rebuilt from wartime ruins. The launch of the three-volume exhibition was the centerpiece of national commemorations of the war that began on September 1, 1939, with the bombing and invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany that followed more than five years of violent occupation. The head of the petition group, lawmaker Arkadiusz Mularczyk, said it was impossible to put an economic value on the loss of some 5.2 million lives he blamed on the German occupation. It listed losses in infrastructure, industry, agriculture, culture, deportations to Germany for forced labor, and attempts to convert Polish children into Germans. A team of more than 30 economists, historians and other experts have been working on the report since 2017. The issue has created bilateral tensions. The war was “one of the most terrible tragedies in our history,” President Andrzej Duda said during ceremonies on the Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk, one of the first places to be attacked in the Nazi invasion. “Not only because it took away our freedom, not only because it took away the state, but also because this war meant millions of victims to the citizens of Poland and irreparable losses to our homeland and nation,” Duda said. In Germany, the government’s official for German-Polish cooperation, Dietmar Nietan, said in a statement that September 1 “remains a day of guilt and shame for Germany which reminds us again and again not to forget the crimes committed by Germany” are the “darkest chapter in our history” and continue to affect bilateral relations. The reconciliation offered by the people in Poland is “the basis on which we can look to the future together in a united Europe,” Nietan said. Poland’s government rejects a 1953 declaration by the country’s then-communist leaders, under pressure from the Soviet Union, agreeing not to make further claims to Germany. An opposition lawmaker, Grzegorz Schetina, says the report is just a “game in domestic politics” and insists Poland must build good relations with Berlin. In a country where there were still bullet holes from the war in houses not so long ago, recent surveys have shown that Polish public opinion is about equally divided on the issue of reparations. Many families still keep alive the memories of family members lost in the war. About 6 million Polish citizens, including 3 million Jews, were killed in the war. Some of them were victims of the Soviet Red Army invading from the east. ————- AP writers Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.