Media: Poland not to give up demands for reparations from Germany

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna has said that his country will not give up its demands for reparations from Germany.

“After the new government comes to power, Poland will not give up its demands for reparations from Germany, but will not insist on the previous amount,” he said in an interview with Rzeczpospolita.

"Germany is not only our allies, but also our economic friends. Jarosław Kaczyński makes a leading element of the narrative in domestic politics out of verbal and diplomatic aggression towards Germans, as it was towards immigrants (...). They were all described as stupid (...). Foreign policy should be effective, not spectacular," Szejna said.

However, the topic of reparations will still not disappear from Polish-German relations, as the Sejm's decision on this issue was previously adopted almost unanimously. According to Szejna, until recently the work of the Polish Foreign Ministry in this regard could be described by the words "big declarations, no results".

Earlier, Polish authorities said they demanded 6.2 trillion zlotys (about $1.3 trillion) from Germany as reparations for its World War Two losses.

Meanwhile, in his interview, Andrzej Szejna said that Poland has agreed to let Bundeswehr (German troops) in and deploy them on the country's territory as part of strengthening NATO's eastern flank.

"When the war goes on beyond our eastern border, any help and cooperation from our allies is welcomed as much as possible. So, if the Germans want to strengthen NATO's eastern flank in Poland, as they did in Lithuania, they are welcome," the deputy FM said.

He also noted that Germany is a friend and reliable partner for Poland, which is why the country agreed to the deployment of German troops.