President Karol Nawrocki will arrive in Berlin on Tuesday, September 16. In the morning, at 9 o'clock, he will be greeted at Bellevue Palace with military honors by German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Then both heads of state will go to the talks.
What are they gonna talk about? Nawrocki himself and his spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz announced that 1 of the topics would be the issue of reparation. “In order to be able to build a foundation of fact and a good partnership with our western neighbour, we must yet settle the issue of reparations from the German state, which, as the president of Poland for the sake of the common good, I explicitly demand, for our future”, said the president of Poland on September 1 on Westerplatte.
Germany reacts
After last week's incidental related to the intrusion of Russian drones into the Polish airspace, the safety situation of Poland changed significantly. In sharp words, Germany condemned Russian action and decided to increase its support in patrolling airspace over Poland. The German Emergency Squadron has already begun operation. Germany – from 2 to 4 – besides increased the number of Eurofighter fighters patrolling Polish airspace.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, speaking in the Sejm after a drone raid, warned not to look for the enemy in the west, due to the fact that 1 is adequate – 1 in the east. "This was a clear blow to the opposition organization PiS and president Nawrocki, who late intensified their critical communicative towards Germany and the EU. For now, this should weaken a bit," wrote "Berliner Zeitung" last week. Is it so possible to anticipate a milder attitude of Karol Nawrocki towards Germany?
"A image of erratic neighbors"
Dr Anja Hennig, a polytolist at the University of the European Viadrina in Frankfurt am Oder, believes that, for purely inside political reasons, Nawrocka will keep her confrontational course.
– The Law and Justice wants to return to power and has a good chance. Even if this is simply a somewhat different subject, I believe that Germany's unilateral border policy since October 2023 has set a good example to strengthen the image of Germans as erratic neighbours in the PiS supporters," he says in a conversation with DW. – This gave adequate chance to criticize German politics and face it with the historical image of the German-aggressor.
According to the polytolist Nawrocka, she will not quit this rhetoric, due to the fact that it will resonate with part of the Polish society. Anja Hennig sees in the demands for reparations from Germany the constant subject of the PiS.
The scientist admits that on the German side, at least among those who deal with Polish-German relations and rapprochement, there is simply a belief that legally the issue of reparation has been solved, and the billion-dollar bill of the Law and Justice is absurd. On the another hand, in moral terms, Poland should be compensated for the harm caused during planet War II, and much was neglected by Germany.
– Therefore, the harsh treatment of Germany is in the interest of the Law and Justice and I do not think that the subject of reparation will vanish from the agenda, even if safety policy is now standing at the centre – the polytolologist comments.
Knut Abraham, coordinator for Polish-German cooperation, reads the arrival of Karol Nawrocki in Berlin a small over a period after taking up the function of President, as a clear sign of interest in bilateral relations. A visit to Germany to the Polish head of state is another after a journey to the USA, Italy and the Vatican, Lithuania and Finland. About returning to the request for reparation Abraham says:
– I believe that it is in the interests of both parties that these hard historical issues in the current situation of threat to both countries – and the safety of Poland is the safety of Germany – should not affect bilateral relations more than essential – says the coordinator in an interview with the DW.
Security support
Abraham emphasizes that from a German point of view the issue of reparation has been closed in legal and financial terms for decades. He points out that in the symbolic layer, e.g. through the memorial stone unveiled in June this year for Polish victims of the Second planet War, the subject is inactive present.
It besides announces the acceleration of work on the establishment of the Polish-German home in Berlin, which is to commemorate Polish victims of war and business and to show the past of the neighbourhood of both countries. According to the co-operation coordinator between the 2 countries, it is besides crucial that Germany engages in supporting Poland's safety in the current tense geopolitical situation.
After visiting president Steinmeier, Karol Nawrocki will talk to German Chancellor Friedrich Merzem. The latter, known for its different German directness politicians, explicitly acknowledged in July that he hoped for a different consequence of the presidential elections in Poland. According to the press office of the German government, Nawrocki's conversation with Merzem is to address in addition to bilateral cooperation, besides "the issue of global safety policy, in peculiar further support for Ukraine".
“For Friedrich Merza Poland is of large importance,” said Knut Abraham. "I believe that the start of the fresh German government in terms of relations with Warsaw was positive. Merz and Tusk, together with Macron and Starmer, found the function as a European quartet. The relation has become vital. Even if they're not rather simple.
"Conflictless communication"
Anja Hennig besides admits that open conflicts are not expected here, although he admits that in terms of temperament or rhetoric, the current German Chancellor is much different from his 2 predecessors, Olaf Scholz and Angela Merkel. However, he adds that after 8 years of PiS regulation the German abroad Ministry has experience in "conflictless communication". In the stormy relations of the Polish-German times of the regulation of the Law and Justice, Berlin left many demands from Warsaw with silence, without being provoked to escalate moods.
This time there will be small time for talks in Berlin – on the same day Karol Nawrocki is expected in Paris.
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