The first item on the secretary of state’s Berlin agenda was a visit to places commemorating the tragedy of World War II, including the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion and Reconciliation, where he held talks with the Centre’s Director Gundula Bavendamm. Deputy Minister Mularczyk also visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the grounds of the former Kroll Opera House, the venue where Hitler made a speech justifying the Nazi Germany’s attack on Poland. 

The secretary of state held consultations with Germany’s Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building Klara Geywitz, and met with Minister of State for Europe
and Climate Anna Lührmann and State Secretary Andreas Michaelis of the Federal Foreign Office. The talks with the German partners focused on the outstanding compensation claims for losses Poland suffered as a result of World War II as well as on manifestly insufficient outlay on teaching Polish as
a mother tongue in Germany, a measure which the federal government is obliged to implement under the provisions of the Treaty of Good Neighbourship and Friendly Cooperation of 1991. Another key topic was the war in Ukraine, including the most pressing challenges that are facing the country’s allies and the need to provide joint assistance to Ukraine fighting against Russia.

On 6 December, Deputy Minister Mularczyk attended a topping out ceremony which symbolically marked the end of basic construction works at the future seat of the Polish Embassy in Berlin. The prestigious investment in Unter den Linden Street is to be completed in the second half of 2023.

Secretary of State Mularczyk’s itinerary included a visit to Potsdam where he held talks with Minister President of Brandenburg Dietmar Woidke. In the area of bilateral issues, the officials placed special emphasis on the need to develop infrastructure network between the two countries, including by increasing the number of bridges on the border river Oder. Deputy Minister Mularczyk stressed that this would be a particularly valuable initiative, but it is difficult to take on engineering challenges when the European Union is blocking Poland’s access to the National Recovery Plan funds.

During a press conference for Polish and German media, the deputy head of Polish diplomacy presented the Report on War Losses and underlined that “in our mutual relations no topics should be left undiscussed.” He added that “the question of reparations is of fundamental importance for Polish people – though it is not about political issues but about Poland’s dignity.” According to Deputy Foreign Minister Mularczyk, the Republic of Poland expects that the official note sent to the German government and the analysis of the report showing the extent of Polish losses will start an open, facts-based dialogue between the two countries, which will lead to a satisfactory settlement of the issue of war reparations.

 

Łukasz Jasina

MFA Spokesperson