Speaking before talks with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, Sikorski said he would ask the German foreign minister to make the government in Belin "think creatively about finding a form of compensation for these war losses, or of redress."
Baerbock said, as quoted by the AP news agency, that “confronting the suffering of millions (of people) that Germany brought on Poland remains a task for ever.”
The two spoke at a joint news conference before their talks on improving bilateral relations and support for Ukraine, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Poland's previous right-wing government had demanded USD 1.3 trillion in compensation for Nazi Germany’s invasion and occupation of Poland from 1939 to 1945, the AP news agency reported.
Officials in Berlin have consistently said that while Germany recognizes its historical responsibility, "the issue of reparations and compensation for World War II losses" was settled decades ago and Berlin "does not intend to enter into negotiations on the matter."
While in Berlin on Tuesday, the Polish foreign minister was set to address a range of historical issues dividing the two countries, including a project in Berlin to memorialize Poland's suffering, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
During their meeting in Berlin, Sikorski and Baerbock were also expected to discuss continued Western support for Ukraine as it battles Russia's invasion.
Other topics on the agenda included ways to reinvigorate trilateral cooperation as part of the Weimar Triangle group, which brings together Poland, Germany and France.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna told Polish Radio ahead of the talks that relations between Warsaw and Berlin "need to be improved."
He noted that Germany remained Poland's largest business partner and that Poland was one of Germany's biggest trading partners worldwide.
"Engaging in an argument with someone with whom you conduct good business is unwise," Szejna said.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Tuesday is day 706 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, AP