As expected, the German government rejected the Polish demands for World War II reparations in a diplomatic note. The corresponding letter from the Foreign Office in Berlin was received in Warsaw on January 3, the Polish Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday evening.
“According to the federal government, the issue of reparations and war reparations remains closed and the federal government does not intend to enter into negotiations on this issue,” the statement said.
The current Polish government is demanding reparations from Germany for damage suffered in World War II amounting to the equivalent of 1.3 trillion euros. She sent a diplomatic note to the Federal Republic of Germany at the beginning of October. On Tuesday, Poland also announced that it had contacted the United Nations and asked for support in the dispute.
The federal government rejects any claims for reparations. She sees no legal basis for the claims. For them, the question is closed with the 2+4 treaty on the foreign policy aspects of German unity. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) made this point of view clear during a visit to Warsaw in October.
The federal government points out that the communist Polish leadership had declared in 1953 that it would refrain from German reparations. However, Poland’s national-conservative government has challenged the validity of the relevant agreement, arguing that Warsaw acted under pressure from the Soviet Union at the time. (dpa / AFP)
To home page
- Poland
- World War II and the end of the war