WWII wounds still hurt Poles - German ambassador
The wounds inflicted by the Germans on Poles are still alive today, German Ambassador to Poland Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven said recounting World War Two in a Wednesday interview for PAP. He also supported plans to erect a memorial to Polish war victims in Berlin.
Von Loringhoven said Poland and the Poles had experienced "unimaginable suffering" at the hands of earlier German generations, and stressed that the pain of those days is still felt by Poles today. He also assured that it was important to restore Polish-owned artworks pillaged by the Nazis during the war.
Commenting on the planned erection of a memorial to Polish war victims in the German capital Berlin, von Loringhoven said he supported the idea, noting that such an object could be "an important education site" for Germans.
"We Germans should approach Poland with a special historical sensitivity. This also applies to me. The wounds our forefathers left here are still alive," he said, adding that he wanted to keep the memory of Nazi atrocities in Poland alive in his country.
Asked about Poland's demands for war compensation from Germany, von Loringhoven said Germany had already paid war damages to the victim countries, including Poland. He added that Nazi crimes were impossible to atone for, but assured that Germany's intent was to strengthen and protect world peace, tolerance, democracy and human rights.
Commenting on the restitution to Poland of Nazi-stolen artworks, von Loringhoven said Germany and Poland were in dialogue over the matter, and reminded about successful restitutions cases over the past years.
