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Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk took part in the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

25.08.2019

“Eighty years ago the so-called Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed. Poland was the most heavily affected by its consequences: it became the first target of the aggression which started the Second World War. The pact stopped the Western nations from providing military support to Poland,” said Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk during events held at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk. The events were accompanied by an academic conference and a presentation of an official video launching the exhibition titled “Fighting and Suffering” and an information campaign in social media.

Wiceminister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk wziął udział w obchodach 80. rocznicy podpisania Paktu Ribbentrop-Mołotow

Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk delivered an opening speech launching the academic conference, titled “The Pact for War. The collusion of 23 August 1939 between Hitler and Stalin.” The conference brought together world-renowned historians representing national museums of countries affected by the consequences of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. “Calling the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact a “pact for war” is perfectly accurate, because the fact that it contained a secret protocol about the division into spheres of influence was a clear violation of international law,” emphasised Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk. He also recalled that under the secret protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the USSR agreed to launch an armed attack on Poland in the event that German Reich found itself in a state of war with Poland.

Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk also underlined the importance of today’s Joint Statement by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania on the occasion of 80 years since the signing of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. “The pact that sparked World War II and doomed half of Europe to decades of misery,” recalled deputy foreign minister.

During the final press conference, the official video was presented to inaugurate a global informative and educational campaign by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk. The purpose of the campaign is to tell the world the Polish story of the Second  World War. The campaign is based on the “Fighting and Suffering” exhibition prepared for MFA by the historians of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk.

“The purpose of MFA’s global information campaign is to pay tribute to Polish heroes and victims of the Second World War, promote patriotic attitudes, share sound knowledge of the Second World War founded on documents and witnesses, and to counteract disinformation on the Second World War spread across the public,” said Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk. The exhibition and the related social media campaign will tell the story of Polish wartime experiences, show its tragic perspective, our nation’s struggle to regain its independent state and its undeterred resistance against the aggression of totalitarian regimes.

 “Starting today, MFA will carry out the largest project on the politics of memory in the history of Polish public diplomacy. The “Fighting and Suffering” exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Second World War will be presented in over 80 locations across 60 countries and the Internet users will see it on the social media,” noted Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo Mikołaj Bujak

 

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