Poland willing to co-op with Turkiye on migration issue - deputy minister

By News Center

Poland is ready to share its own experience with Turkiye on how it has been coping with the influx of refugees from Ukraine, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk said.

"We are ready to cooperate and share the experience with Turkiye, which Poland sees as a friend and strategic partner," the deputy foreign minister said when speaking about the ways of cooperating to overcome the migration crisis.

According to the deputy foreign minister, Poland is experiencing its worst crisis since WWII as nearly 9m Ukrainians have crossed its borders and about 3.5m have decided to stay.

Mularczyk's remarks came in an exclusive interview with Anadolu about how Europe handled migration management after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and developments in Poland.

Asked if Warsaw is in touch with Ankara about the high numbers of refugees in Poland and Turkiye and whether a few countries are trying to take on too much alone, Mularczyk said he would like countries to fight the migration crisis in a more balanced and unified manner.

''Indeed, I would like to call for the fight against the migration crisis in a more evenly and solidarity. We see certain deficits here because the aid provided is insufficient. We are ready to cooperate and exchange experiences with Turkiye, which Poland treats as a friend and strategic partner. I assure you that on our part, we have done everything to convince our partners, especially from the EU, of the need to intensify humanitarian and aid activities toward refugees. I unfortunately agree that verbal declarations are seldom followed by real actions. We have to face it, but we are strong and we will manage it,'' he said.

According to Mularczyk, Poland is facing its biggest-ever crisis since WWII as almost 9m Ukrainians crossed its borders and about 3.5 million Ukrainians decided to stay in Poland.

''It is hard to talk about people as something of a 'burden', but of course, it is a considerable expense to our GDP. We are undoubtedly facing the greatest crisis since World War II, but such situations as we have today in Ukraine are also deeply embedded in Poland’s national memory. The aggression and Soviet occupation during WWII are still present in our consciousness. Therefore, Poland also had to deal with migration and its consequences,'' said Mularczyk.

Mularczyk emphasized that Poland is doing everything to convince its partners, especially in the European Union, to intensify humanitarian aid to refugees.

''The Interior Ministry and Administration signed grant agreements with the European Commission, thanks to which Poland received a total of nearly 700m zloty ($161m) for activities related to the mass influx of refugees from Ukraine. This is the first tranche of support. Now we are waiting for the implementation of another application for funds in the amount of over PLN200 million ($46m). Of course, we are aware that this is only a drop in an ocean of need to support and create normal conditions for the handling of refugees in our country. We estimate our expenses at the level of PLN10 billion($2.3 billion),'' the minister said.

He added that despite the economic issues, Poland is fully committed to supporting Ukraine.

''Poland is a leader in humanitarian and military aid. We are fully committed to supporting the struggling Ukrainian nation, and we do not intend to deviate from this path. I deeply believe that the chosen direction is right, not only for moral reasons but also for pragmatic ones. While defending its independence, Ukraine also defends sovereign Europe, including Poland, against Russian aggression,'' said Mularczyk.

Touching on the compensation requested by Poland from Germany due to WWII, Mularczyk emphasized that they strongly reject Berlin's stance that the issue is closed.

''We strongly reject the position of the German Foreign Ministry to close the issue of reparations. The issue of war reparations has never been an open topic between our countries, and no dialog or bilateral talks have ever been initiated on this matter. They were initiated only recently by our diplomatic note on Oct. 3, 2022."

He said the majority of Polish people are seeking war reparations from Germany and it is a key issue.

''For Poles, settling accounts with the past of WWII with Germany is a fundamental issue. Because the majority of our population approves of seeking war reparations from Germany. It is thus a priority topic in the policy of the Polish government. Unfortunately, as we can see, Germany does not want to build a European order based on justice, truth, and fair settlement. The one-sided cutting off of the subject of compensation and settling accounts with the past is tantamount to depreciating the wrongs (committed against) the Polish nation,'' said Mularczyk.

He added that Poland strives for compensation for the damage caused between 1939-1945, and for the next steps, they will undoubtedly seek allies in the matter of seeking compensation.