Investments instead of reparations? Czarzasty: In Berlin I will present my idea for solving the problem

Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty announced that during his visit to Berlin he will present his idea to German politicians for solving the problem of paying war reparations. His plan is divided into three aspects: compensation for victims of World War II, symbolism and joint investments.

On Monday afternoon, the Marshal of the Sejm visited Berlin, where he will meet, among others, with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, head of the Bundestag Julia Kloeckner and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. This is Czarzasty's first foreign visit since he took over as marshal.

On the way to the German capital, Czarzasty said in a conversation with journalists that there is currently a huge area of ​​unused opportunities between Poland and Germany. As he added, “we cannot be trapped into the orthodox right-wing narrative: the Germans are evil and we will not cooperate with them.” – I believe that this is detrimental to Poland, especially since – when it comes to Polish partners – Germany is the first economic partner – he noted.

The Marshal emphasized that with his visit to Berlin he wanted to encourage Germans to cooperate and show that the issue of war reparations is not the only topic of conversation. – These are important topics, but time passes and we need to look to the future, not to the past all the time – he emphasized.

At the same time, Czarzasty assured that he is not avoiding this topic, although he wants to distance himself from the narrative that the issue of war reparations is the biggest problem in the world. He announced that he would present his idea for solving this problem in talks with Steinmeier, Kloeckner and Pistorius. – In my opinion, we need to talk about this in three aspects. (…) One thing is the issue of compensation for living people, this should happen – he said.

The second aspect is – according to Czarzasty – the issue of symbolism. – I will lay flowers in the place where a monument dedicated to the Polish victims in Berlin is to be built. Of course, monuments can be built faster or slower, but I would like to speed up the construction a bit – he emphasized.

The third aspect concerns the payment of reparations. According to the Marshal, Germany should invest these funds in building common infrastructure and security. – Let us fulfill this element of reparations through joint initiatives – he appealed.

– It's worth talking, because you can't solve this with a baseball bat. We need to look for another solution so that the parties are satisfied – added Czarzasty.

Last December Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that if our country does not obtain a quick and unambiguous declaration from Germany regarding the payment of compensation to living Polish victims of World War II, it will consider the decision to have Poland meet this need from its own funds. Tusk also noted that Poland “has not received compensation for the losses and crimes of World War II.”

The German Chancellor then emphasized that the position of his government, as well as that of previous German governments, was that the issue of war reparations was clarified from both a political and legal point of view. He added that it is also clear to him that commemorating the victims and facing history is a process that is never completed.

Merz emphasized that Germany was admitting its historical responsibility here and was conducting talks with the Polish side. He expressed his belief that a good solution would be found from the point of view of both countries. On the issue of compensation for still living victims of World War II, Merz said that Germany had in the past “made 2 billion euros available to survivors of Nazi terror.” – We are talking about further possibilities of cooperation and humanitarian aid – he assured. (PAP)

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