Poland claims compensation in the amount of 1,300 billion euros. Polish diplomacy brought the case before the United Nations on Tuesday, asking its senior representatives their “cooperation and support”.
mo12345lemonde with AFP
The German government has formally rejected Warsaw’s request to negotiate compensation for the damage suffered by Poland during the Second World War, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday January 3
“According to the German government, the case of repairs and compensation for the damage due to the war remains closed and the German government does not intend to open negotiations on this subject,” said a press release of the ministry, published after receiving an official response from Berlin.
Poland claims compensation from Germany to an amount estimated by Warsaw at 1,300 billion euros. Tuesday, Polish diplomacy brought the case before the United Nations, by asking its senior representatives to their “cooperation and support so that Poland can receive compensation for damage caused by the German attack and occupation In the years 1939-1945 “.
2.1 million Polish citizens deported to Nazi Germany
According to Germany, Poland gave up war repairs in 1953 and confirmed this renunciation on several occasions. Berlin has opposed the same arguments to the requests for repairs raised in the past by Greece. Polish nationalist conservatives in power contest the validity of this 1953 agreement, claiming that Warsaw had acted at the time under pressure from the Soviet Union.
According to a report on Polish losses during the Second World War presented at the beginning of September, some 2.1 million Polish citizens were deported to work in Nazi Germany, each person having worked there on average and nine months. Following the war, of pseudo-drug experiences and detention in concentration camps, 590,000 Polish citizens were disabled. In the years 1939-1945, Poland lost 50 % of lawyers, 40 % of doctors and 35 % university professors.
On the other hand, the material losses were estimated at 800 billion zlotys (170 billion euros). Losses related to cultural and artistic goods were evaluated at 19 billion zlotys (4 billion euros). Those in the banking sector were estimated at 89.3 billion zlotys (18.9 billion euros) and those in the insurance sector at 34.8 billion zlotys (7.3 billion euros).
Since coming to power in Poland in 2015, the Party in power and justice (and) has often defended the issue of war repairs, insisting that Germany had a “moral duty” in the matter .