Ukraine confirms that there are no obstacles preventing Polish state institutions and private entities, in cooperation with the relevant Ukrainian authorities, from carrying out search and exhumation work on Ukrainian territory, according to an official statement by the foreign ministers of Poland and Ukraine.
Radosław Sikorski announced via social media that Ukraine has confirmed there are no barriers to conducting searches and exhumations related to the Volhynian Massacre on its territory and has expressed a willingness to review such requests favorably. He shared this information as part of the joint statement issued by the Polish and Ukrainian foreign ministers.
FM Sikorski, during his official speech, emphasized that the joint statement by the foreign ministers of Poland and Ukraine "is a tangible testament to the close relations between our countries."
Poland to support search and exhumation of Volhynian Massacre victims in Ukraine
The head of Polish diplomacy also emphasized that Poland will mobilize its institutions, such as the Institute of National Remembrance, to be more responsive to Ukrainian requests.
Paweł Wroński, spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained that Ukraine's groundbreaking decision to lift the 2017 moratorium will allow Polish institutions to conduct searches and exhumations of victims of the Volhynian massacre on Ukrainian soil. According to him, these efforts could begin as early as spring 2025.
Sikorski added that Poland has been supporting Ukraine militarily since the start of Russia's aggression, and our aid relative to GDP is greater than that of any other country. The statement also highlighted the importance of continuing support for Ukraine's accession to both the European Union and NATO.
"We are grateful to Poland and all Poles for their strong support of Ukraine. We agreed on further military aid and made progress on addressing issues related to our shared past," emphasized Andriy Sybiha through social media.
The Volhynian Massacre refers to a series of violent attacks between 1943 and 1945, during which Ukrainian nationalists killed tens of thousands of Polish civilians in the Volhynia region, part of what is now western Ukraine, amidst the broader context of World War II and the conflict between ethnic Poles and Ukrainians.
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Source: IAR/PAP/MSZ/IPN/@PolandMFA/@andrii_sybiha/@sikorskiradek
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