It seems that after completing the mission in Warsaw, the German ambassador to Poland wants to do some self-reflection on the style in which he conducted this mission (especially that as deputy head of the German foreign ministry, Thomas Bagger will deal with Poland and Central and Eastern Europe). Nothing can be wrong anymore. The outgoing ambassador insists there was nothing wrong with his behavior and tweets, and “nothing will change in terms of reparations in Germany”.
“Why do you see the mote in your brother’s eye?”
There was nothing wrong with my behavior or tweets. The messages I sent were simply part of the modern understanding of diplomacy
– argued the diplomat, when asked if a change of position could be a punishment “for undiplomatic behavior, for provocative tweets”.
Bagger also added that he had certain reasons for this.
I reacted when it was necessary from our point of view to respond to the speeches of Polish politicians and government officials, which were a distortion of reality
he explained.
When asked about the tweet addressed to Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak (“Does the minister know how many billions of zlotys Poles transfer to Moscow every year in exchange for Russian energy?”), the interlocutor of “GW” stated that each ambassador is aware that Germany is a permanent part of the political discourse in our country and that we have to deal with it one way or another.
But not always and not everything can only be said in a balanced way
he assessed.
At the same time, he admitted that Poland has reasons to criticize Germany, especially in the context of relations with Russia, especially those related to energy policy. Thomas Bagger admitted that “in retrospect it turned out to be a mistake” and that German policy towards Moscow was “based on far too optimistic assumptions”.
There is nothing wrong with pointing this out and Germany should accept that criticism. But if anyone tries to suggest that Putin’s war against Ukraine was made possible by the Germans, completely ignoring their own actions, I think they should be reminded of the passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Why do you see the mote in your brother’s eye, but don’t you see the beam in your own eye?”
he pointed it out.
Well, except that in this particular case the bar is in the German eye (for example, in the eye of Gerhard Schroeder or Angela Merkel), and not in the Polish eye.
“Germany needs a strong and prosperous Poland
The ambassador noted that the image of Germany in Poland is often distorted.
There is a popular story in Poland that the Germans would like Poland to be small and weak. It’s complete nonsense. It’s just the opposite. Germany needs a strong and prosperous Poland, because Europe needs such a Poland. And Europe is the main point of reference for us. For us, Europe is the only effective response to Germany’s tragic history and difficult geography in the middle of Europe
– he stressed, forgetting that the Germans themselves are responsible for a significant part of their “tragic history”. But there are many similar bizarre statements during the conversation. As in one of his earlier interviews (he spoke about it in May for the British daily Financial Times), he also enjoyed the “asymmetry of attention”, i.e. that: “For many Poles, Germany is a point of reference, but on the German side is it not mutual. For most Germans, Poland is just one of many neighboring countries. However, it turns out that in this matter everything is to blame … Poland.
The distorted image of Germany promoted in Poland surprises and irritates the Germans dealing with Poland. But most people don’t even notice.
What is happening now is a great opportunity for Poland. After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Poland quickly made commendable decisions, accepted millions of refugees and generously helped Ukraine. Now is the right time to face the lack of interest on the German side. To say, “Look at how many important things are happening here.” But instead we hear the same already mentioned melody from Poland. So people shrug their shoulders, the opportunity is gone…
Bagger emphasized.
What about reparations?
Asked about reparations and the position of the deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, who is responsible for this case, that if PiS wins the next election, Germany will pay us compensation for World War II crimes, the diplomat rated:
Minister Mularczyk uses a discourse that justifies the meaning of his work. The German position on reparations is clear and has been communicated to Poland in writing. This issue is legally closed. I’ve said this several times and there’s not much to add.
He made a reservation that history will always be important in relations between the two countries.
And I would like to advise my compatriots to take seriously the pain that still lives in Poland after the terrible injustice that the Germans inflicted on the Poles. But that should happen in a different context, during meetings between politicians and citizens. A place of remembrance and meeting with Poles will be built in Berlin. We will build them to make the Germans aware of their responsibility. On the other hand, nothing will change in terms of reparations in Germany
– added.
Referring to Mularczyk’s diplomatic initiative, Bagger said dismissively:
He knows best how little international response his efforts receive.
“War is Germany’s nightmare
Also interesting (and perfectly illustrative of the attitude of the Germans to their crimes during World War II) was the statement about aid to Ukraine. Why were our western neighbors so reluctant at first?
Ivan Krastev, a well-known Bulgarian political scientist, says that we have the same European dreams, but our nightmares are already very national, because the Polish nightmare is the occupation and the German nightmare is the war itself
– said the “GW” interlocutor, also forgetting who gave the Germans this nightmare.
After Russia’s attack on Ukraine in Poland, people soon felt not only existentially threatened, but also recognized that the Ukrainians were not only fighting for their own freedom, but also for the freedom of Poland. There was a feeling in Germany: “We want to help the Ukrainians, but we want to avoid a big war in which we ourselves are dragged.” Such a scenario would be a nightmare from our point of view. This is our psychological construct. There are also some traditions. For decades, the supply of arms to crisis-ridden regions was taboo in German politics.
– Bagger explained his country and added that “intensive debate” was needed in Berlin to work out the current position.
Today, however, Germany and Poland are the two countries in the EU most involved in supporting Ukraine. We must remain partners here in helping Ukraine and supporting its integration into the Union. We are also not using our potential in the latter area
he pointed it out.
At the same time, he assured that there would be no return to the old relations between Germany and Russia.
There will be actions, not words. My request to Poland is to treat Zeitenwende seriously and observe the changes. Germany no longer buys oil, gas or coal from Russia. Our assumption that energy relations with Russia are of a stabilizing nature turned out to be wrong
– he said.
We assumed that despite all the differences, Russia was interested in stable relations with the West. Our rationality turned out to be too optimistic. Trust between Germany and Russia was completely destroyed. It cannot be recovered. So there will be no return to the status quo ante. We wanted to create security together with Russia, now we are doing it against it
– added.
Let’s hope that Germany really no longer wants to “create security together with Russia”, because this state of affairs has always been far from security.
READ ALSO:
-Bagger: reparations? “This subject is a Pandora’s box and it is better left untouched.” He also defends Scholz’s contribution on the “liberation” of Germany
-German politician on mistakes about Russia and reparations for Poland: The aim of the report is to show PiS voters a reason to pursue an anti-German policy
– What does ambassador Bagger say about us in the foreign press? “For every Pole, Germany is the main point of reference”
-No reflection! The German ambassador tries to save face in “Newsweek”: Poland can waste its five minutes
-Germany downplays Polish aid to Ukraine? Interesting information in the “NYT”. ‘Berlin takes revenge through the mouths of the most important politicians’
– The German ambassador still cannot get over the words of Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak? “Has it been noticed in Poland yet?”
aja/Wyborcza.pl
Source: wPolityce