Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka at a press conference avoided answering a question about whether Poland will seek full reparations from Germany, not just compensation for living victims. As at almost every conference, he also took a jab at TV Republika.
On Monday, the 17th consultations between the governments of Poland and Germany took place. Prime Minister Tusk and Chancellor Merz discussed, among other things, security, infrastructure, memory policy, and support for Ukraine. Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the press conference became known for saying that… if Germany does not pay compensation to the victims of World War II, Poland will do it itself.
Adam Szłapka Took a Jab at TV Republika
At the press conference, government spokesperson Adam Szłapka attacked TV Republika for the headline “Tusk Receives Instructions in Berlin”.
“This is idiocy, and the person who wrote this about important Polish-German intergovernmental consultations, also from the perspective that this is a Copernican revolution regarding Germany’s approach to energy issues related to Russia,” said Adam Szłapka.
Szłapka spoke about close Polish-German cooperation “in energy, military, and cross-border matters.”
“How can anyone come up with such a headline? This is idiocy, and whoever did it is an idiot,” the spokesperson attacked.
Question About Reparations. Evasive Answer from the Government Spokesperson
“Does the government intend to demand reparations from the German government? When will there be concrete actions to obtain full reparations from Germany?” Monika Rutke from TV Republika continued asking during the conference.
“Yesterday, very clearly from Prime Minister Tusk’s words, it was stated what Poland’s position is regarding compensation or the fulfillment of obligations concerning the consequences of World War II. The entire political class in Poland has a very similar view. What is it formally called, what terms should be used? They all have formal-legal meanings in international law…” said Szłapka, claiming that the previous government in official documents did not use the word “reparations.”
“The Polish government is presenting this matter very clearly for sure,” added the government spokesperson, without revealing any further details.