Warsaw, Poland — Poland's high politician mentioned Thursday that the federal government will search equal of $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany for the Nazis' World Struggle II invasion and occupation of his nation. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, chief of the Legislation and Justice occasion, introduced the massive declare on the launch of a long-awaited report on the price to the nation of years of Nazi German occupation because it marks 83 years for the reason that begin of World Struggle II.
"We not solely ready the report however we've got additionally taken the choice as to the additional steps," Kaczynski mentioned through the report's presentation.
"We'll flip to Germany to open negotiations on the reparations," Kaczynski mentioned, including it is going to be a "lengthy and never a straightforward path" however "someday will deliver success."
Poland's right-wing authorities argues that the nation, which was the struggle's first sufferer, has not been totally compensated by neighboring Germany, which is now one in all its main companions inside the European Union.
Germany argues compensation was paid to East Bloc nations within the years after the struggle whereas territories that Poland misplaced within the East as borders have been redrawn have been compensated with a few of Germany's pre-war lands. Berlin calls the matter closed.
Prime leaders together with Kaczynski, who's Poland's chief coverage maker, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended the ceremonial launch of the report on the Royal Citadel in Warsaw, rebuilt from wartime ruins.
The discharge of the report was the main target of nationwide observances of the anniversary of the struggle that started Sep. 1, 1939, with Nazi Germany's bombing and invasion of Poland and was adopted by greater than 5 years of brutal occupation.
A workforce of some 30 economists, historians and different consultants labored on the report since 2017. The problem has created bilateral tensions.
The struggle was "one of the horrible tragedies in our historical past," President Andrzej Duda mentioned throughout early morning observances on the Westerplatte peninsula close to Gdansk, one of many first locations to be attacked within the Nazi invasion.
"Not solely as a result of it took our freedom, not solely as a result of it took our state from us, but additionally as a result of this struggle meant tens of millions of victims amongst Poland's residents and irreparable losses to our homeland and our nation," Duda mentioned.
In Germany, the federal government's official for German-Polish cooperation, Dietmar Nietan, mentioned in an announcement that Sept. 1 "stays a day of guilt and disgrace for Germany that reminds us repeatedly to not neglect the crimes carried out by Germany" which can be the "darkest chapter in our historical past" and nonetheless have an effect on bilateral relations.
Reconciliation provided by individuals in Poland is "the idea on which we will look towards the long run collectively in a united Europe," Nietan mentioned.
Poland's authorities rejects a 1953 declaration by the nation's then-communist leaders, underneath stress from the Soviet Union, agreeing to not make any additional claims on Germany.
An opposition lawmaker, Grzegorz Schetyna, says the report is only a "recreation within the inner politics" and insists Poland must construct good relations with Berlin.
Some 6 million of Poland's residents, together with 3 million Jews, have been killed within the struggle and its business, infrastructure and tradition suffered enormous losses.