Ukrainian and Polish politicians call to reconciliation encouraged by St John Paul II

Borнs Tarasyuk, Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Bogdan Klich, leader of the Polish Senate’s opposition, issued a joint statement outlining steps to overcome the crisis of relations between the countries.

The statement was posted on February 26 at the Ukrainian parliament's website, according to Religion in Ukraine, which quoted Ednist.info.

Borys Tarasyuk was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in 1998-2000, 2005-2007, and Bogdan Klich was Minister of Defense of the Republic of Poland in 2007-2011. The policymakers emphasize the importance of preserving the memory of the past. “The past should be kept in memory, the victims of conflicts and crimes deserve remembrance, honor and worthy burial, and this is the main duty of the representatives of the governments of our countries,” the statement said.

Future relations with the memory of the past should be built on the principle “We ask forgiveness and forgive.”  Just the way we were encouraged by John Paul II, and the way our churches, presidents, governments, and parliaments acted in the past," the politicians say.

In the context of Poland’s approval of a resonant law on the Institute of National Remembrance, politicians consider it necessary to preserve the freedom of scientific activity and expressions on historical themes. “Studies and statements on the subject of history should have absolute freedom, nobody should be punished for expressing their own views unless they call for violence and hostility,” the statement said.

“The history of Poland and Ukraine teaches that Russia only benefits from our mutual hostility and that today the actual slogan remains that there is no Ukraine without free Poland, as well as there is no safe Poland without independent Ukraine,” the parliamentarians note.

As it was reported, on February 16, Pavlo Rozenko, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, visited Warsaw, where he had talks with his Polish counterpart, Piotr Glinsky, on the Law on the Institute of National Remembrance. On February 17 in Poland, they stated they were “deeply disappointed” with the results of talks between Ukrainian and Polish Vice Prime Ministers, as Kyiv had yet not decided on the lifting of the moratorium on the exhumation of Polish burial grounds in Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers the statement regarding “deep frustration” to be groundless.