The German government has formally rejected Warsaw’s request to negotiate compensation for the damage Poland suffered in World War II, Poland’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
“According to the federal government, the case of reparations and compensation for war damage remains closed and the federal government does not intend to enter into negotiations on this matter,” said a statement from the ministry, released after receiving an official reply from Berlin.
Poland is demanding 1,300 billion euros in damages from Germany, estimated in Warsaw.
On Tuesday, Polish diplomacy took the matter to the United Nations, asking its senior officials for their “cooperation and support to enable Poland to obtain compensation for the damage caused by German aggression and occupation in 1939-1945.
According to Germany, Poland waived war indemnities in 1953 and has repeatedly confirmed this waiver. Berlin used the same arguments to counter the reparations claims made by Greece in the past.
Polish nationalist conservatives in power dispute the validity of this 1953 agreement, saying that Warsaw acted under pressure from the Soviet Union at the time.
Since the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in Poland in 2015, it has often championed the issue of war reparations, insisting that Germany has a “moral duty” on the matter.