War reliefs from Germany. How long are we gonna wait?

With Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Deputy Minister of abroad Affairs (2022-2023), we are discussing the global arrangement of forces in the dispute over war reparations between Poland and Germany and the function played by German business and decision makers in the United States.

(Interview is simply a edited and completed version of the podcast Are you aware p.Reparations from Germany. Rejected, deferred, rejected of August 29, 2023.)

Rafał Górski: If you were to explain in a simple way to citizens, what is the problem with reparations – what would you say today?

Arkady the Mullarite: In my opinion, it is essential to have a clear position that justice requires this, universal values – specified as the regulation of law, human rights – require that a state that has committed unimaginable war crimes, raiding another country, murder, robbery, destruction, theft, after the end of this war pay compensation to the injured country. These are universal values, appropriate to our civilisational circle.

But we must besides remember the global regulations that were in force before planet War II: the Hague Convention, the Briand-Kellogg Pact, and the later provisions of the Potsdam Conference – which imposed on Germany the work to pay reparations as much as possible to the affected countries.

It should besides be recalled that, according to all global declarations, war crimes do not expire and can be prosecuted at any time. This was besides confirmed not so long ago, in May 2023 at the conference, of the Reykjavik Council of Europe, where all associate States of the Council of Europe signed a final declaration. As a consequence of the actions of Polish diplomacy, it besides stated that reconciliation after war conflicts is possible only if the country-aggressor pays the country affected with war reparations. So we decision in a clearly defined area. The area is defined by global law, by global declarations, by the values of our civilisation circle.

A country that commits war crimes that initiates war is obliged to pay war reparations.

When I think of these reparations, I remember Edward Carr's book, which was published in Poland not long ago: "The 20th anniversary of 1919-1939", in which Carr teaches us about the brutal laws of global politics. On the 1 hand there is morality, on the another hand there is power. As the Minister said, morality is entirely on our side. Question: what is the arrangement of forces today, in your opinion. Who in the global arena is “in favour” and who is “against” to pay Poland a reparation?

As you rightly pointed out, morality, certain rules, principles, are to be applied. Of course, it is crucial who they concern. due to the fact that if they concern countries that have a dominant position, they very frequently like to juggle these concepts, and I would say, manipulate them. And that, of course, concerns modern Germans who believe that the subject of reparation is simply a closed subject, that they worked it historically. Which, as we know, is not true.

Our efforts on the global phase have been very intensely close to 2 years. Let me remind you that on September 1, 2022, it was published War failure report, then I was appointed as a typical of the government for war damages, we sent a diplomatic note to the German Government, to which the German Government responded very quickly: that the case was closed. This has caused us to launch a number of diplomatic actions on the global stage. The subject was raised, raised in almost all global organizations. We informed our main allies, partners. Through our embassies, consulates have conducted a very intense diplomatic action worldwide. Of course, the president of the United States besides knows, the State Department knows, the heads of all major organizations know.

You rightly asked us what kind of allies we have in this matter. This is simply a very good question, due to the fact that delight note that although we are all moving in the same conceptual network on the regulation of law and human rights, erstwhile it concerns 1 of the powers of Europe or the world, it abruptly turns out that it is not at all simple or easy to enforce from this power the principles and principles that this power proclaims: compliance with law, regulation of law, democracy and so on. besides equal treatment of victims, the prohibition of discrimination against certain countries – after all, Germany has been laying down rules for a number of years and deciding who they pay compensation to. The aggressor country, the country that committed the crime, decides which 1 will pay the victim.

It should be remembered that Germany is paying compensation to various countries, different nations, specified as judaic communities, and Western European communities. They do not pay them to Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Serbs, Italians or Greeks.

So we are dealing with a situation completely curiosity from the point of view of global law, from the point of view of all the values which Germany proclaims, due to the fact that it is Germany who chooses the victim they pay. We, raising the subject almost a year ago and taking a number of global actions, firstly, must show that we are consistent, well prepared, have good evidence and have a good economical account. I think all these conditions are met due to the fact that the war failure study has not been undermined by anyone until today. The information contained there is very well compiled, developed, prepared, described from very different perspectives.