MEETING IN GERMANY - CHAIRMAN OF THE JAN KARSKI INSTITUTE COUNCIL, DEPUTY MINISTER ARKADIUSZ MULARCZYK

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On 6-7 December 2022, Deputy Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk visited Berlin. The purpose of the visit was to clarify issues related to, among other things: war reparations, aid for Ukraine, support for Polish language instruction for children attending German schools, and the development of border infrastructure.

The Deputy Minister presented the issue of reparation claims for losses caused by the Germans during the war and occupation. He recalled that, on 3 October 2022, the Polish government sent a note to the German government on this issue. As Die Welt reported: Berlin's calculated silence so far may have been due to the calculations used, razed cities, stolen bank funds, and looted artwork. The German daily noted that the Deputy Minister spoke matter-of-factly and calmly, calling Germany a friend.

While in the German capital, Deputy Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk announced that the Polish government would take broader political and diplomatic action at the UN, UNESCO, OECD, European Union and Council of Europe. “We cannot agree with the attitude of the German government which says it feels morally responsible for the consequences of the Second World War but does not feel politically and economically responsible” said the Deputy Minister. At the same time, he announced the publication of the Report in German and the creation of a report on the war losses Poland suffered as a result of Soviet aggression.

The Deputy Minister also visited sites related to the commemoration of Second World War victims and took part in a meeting at the Polish Institute, where he referred to the recent precedent of the sale by a Berlin auction house of a painting by Vassily Kandinsky. “We are concerned about the situation in which it is legal to sell a stolen painting if it has been in private hands for 30 years. This may mean that the purpose of this legislation is to protect things stolen from other countries, primarily Poland” said the Deputy Minister.