WW2 reparations row deepens as Greece back’s Poland’s claim against Germany

Poland: Anti-EU protestors march through streets of Warsaw

Germany is facing a battle on two fronts after senior Greek figures have rowed in behind Poland amid their row over WWII reparations.

Poland’s governing Law and Justice (PiS) Party has been demanding $1.3trillion (£1,013,408,170) from Germany for the destruction to their country by the Nazi’s invasion 84 years ago.

Germany has been ignoring the demands since the Polish Government began making them last year, claiming all financial claims have been settled.

In January, Poland’s foreign minister said the German Government “does not intend to enter into negotiations on this matter”.

“The government of the Republic of Poland will continue its efforts to settle debts resulting from German aggression and occupation in the years 1939-1945.”

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Pressure on Germany has now been ramped up, with Poland’s Secretary of State for Europe saying Greece is now “watching Poland’s actions with interest”.

He added at a recent conference: “They see an opportunity for joint actions and cooperation”.

Former Greek Ambassador to Poland, Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, backed this up, saying: “The aim should be, first of all, for Germany to acknowledge that the issue of reparations remains open and that it is willing to discuss it”.

“This requires the cooperation of Greece and Poland.”

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In June, Germany announced it would pay more than £1.4billion in 2024 to the survivors of Nazi atrocities, but has never recognised its obligations to Poland for the damage and loss of life as a result of their occupation.

According to a Polish report following five years of research, 5.2million Polish citizens were killed during the occupation, with 2.1million Poles taken abroad and forced into slave labour.

A resolution passed in the Polish parliament, the Sejm, in April 2023 called on Germany to recognise the scale of the damage they inflicted during WWII, including a loss of 11.2 million to the Polish population and 196,000 Polish children stolen – just 30,000 of whom were returned.

In October 2022 German foreign minister Annalena Bearbock reiterated that the issue is “closed from the perspective of the German Government”.

Germany claims the issue of reparations was addressed at the Potsdam Conference in 1945.

Four days ago Poland’s deputy foreign minister blasted Germany over “shocking reports” from the country’s ambassadors that their “German counterparts have been ordered not to become engaged in dialogue concerning war reparations for Poland”.

“Why then has Germany signed the Reykjavik Declaration, (which mentions dialogue 14 times) if its ambassadors refuse to meet their Polish counterparts to discuss war reparations for Poland?”

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