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Germany refuses to pay World War II reparations to Poland – JURIST

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tuesday stated that Germany refused to pay reparations and compensation for war losses that Poland incurred during World War II and that that the German government has no intentions to participate in negotiations regarding the matter.On October 3, 2022, Poland sent a diplomatic note to Germany. In the note, Poland claimed compensation for losses amounting to 6 trillion, 220 billion, 609 million Polish zlotys–which equates to almost $1.4 trillion. The note received on Tuesday was Germany’s response to the October 3, 2022 note from Poland.During a press conference in December, Polish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arkadiusz Mularczyk said, “Germany has never assumed full legal liability for the actions of its legal predecessor during this period in Poland’s territory.” In another press statement, Mularczyk noted that Germany needs to officially address the issues of compensation and damages for the crimes committed by its legal predecessor to fulfill its aspirations to be perceived as a country that respects the rule of law and democracy.The ministry in a press brief urged the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other top UN officials ministry to support their efforts to compensate Poland for losses caused by German aggression and occupation during World War II, spanning 1939 through 1945. Poland also asked for UN support in getting Germany to continue its efforts on a broader front.Three million Polish Jews and six million Poles were killed during the war. Additionally, after an uprising in 1944 that claimed the lives of around 200,000 civilians, Warsaw, Poland was completely destroyed. In 1953, Poland signed an agreement between the Soviet Union and communist East Germany stating that reparations would cease from 1954. Presently the Polish government denies this agreement, stating that Poland was not a legitimate party to the agreement as it was not an independent country. Under that argument, Poland still believes that Germany owes it war reparations.