Nawrocki suggests Germany could pay for WWII by building Polish military
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has told German President Frank Walter Steinmeier that Germany could pay for the damage inflicted on Poland during World War Two by financing Polish army, despite Berlin saying reparations are a closed matter.
The German government considers the case for reparations closed, quoting the 1953 declaration waiving the claim that was made by Poland's then communist government under pressure from Moscow.
But this did not deter Nawrocki from insisting during his Tuesday meeting with Steinmeier that the case is still open.
"I am in favour of Germany paying reparations to Poland," he said at a press conference in Paris, where he went straight from Berlin to talk with French President Emmanuel Macron.
"I suggested that we could move towards... financing the Polish arms industry and military capabilities, which, on the one hand, would be the beginning of what would certainly be a long process," Nawrocki said.
He made a reservation, however, that the solution is not set in stone and is just a proposal.
"On the one hand, Germany could begin to pay reparations by building up the strength of the Polish army and its military potential, while at the same time strengthening what we all care about, namely NATO's eastern flank, which is the border region of the ongoing war, especially after September 10," he said, referring to the unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by close to 20 Russian drones.
Nawrocki also announced the setting up of a team that will debate the reparations issue.
He said the problem should be resolved "for our common security across the entire eastern flank" and added that it is "a necessity, on the one hand for Poland, on the other hand for Germany, and... a duty for the entire European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance."
Nawrocki said Poland's demands will not negatively influence Polish-German relations and expressed a hope that the two sides will be able to work out a satisfying solution.
Reporting on other topics of the meeting, Nawrocki said the two had also discussed trade relations and EU policy.
Poland's previous ruling party, the socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), which Nawrocki is affiliated with, in 2022 demanded over PLN 6 trillion (USD 1.7 trillion) from Berlin in reparations for loss of lives and property due to Nazi Germany's invasion and subsequent occupation of Poland in 1939-1945.
The Donald Tusk government has accused the former right-wing cabinet of politicising the issue of reparations for domestic purposes while being aware that the USD 1.7 trillion sum they demanded from Germany was completely unrealistic.
Tusk and his ministers admit Germany has "a moral obligation" towards Poland, but have not supported PiS's demands as to the total sum asked from Berlin.(PAP)jd/mf
