The 80th anniversary of the Volyn massacre will bring us a series of joint Polish and Ukrainian actions; We have agreed with the Ukrainian side not to release details to the media for the time being; President Andrzej Duda in an interview for the interia.pl portal on Thursday, asking for some patience.
In the interview, the leader was asked about the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Volhynia massacre, the issue of a common Polish-Ukrainian position on the matter, and a clear signal from Ukraine about exhuming the victims of this genocide.
Note that search operations are ongoing and will no longer be blocked. It is carried out quietly and calmly – and the whole thing does not need political publicity, it must be carried out quietly and discreetly. This shows a qualitative change: today’s Ukrainian authorities understand the whole issue better than a few years ago.
President Duda responded.
He pointed out, “These searches are being carried out, which is important for us because it was not the case a few years ago. Step by step”.
Today we held further talks with the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, President Zelensky and Prime Minister Shmihal to push things further. Here we have various activities in readiness. We have agreed with the Ukrainian side not to release details to the media for the time being. So, forgive me for not revealing the details, but yes, the 80th anniversary of the Volhynia massacre will bring us many joint Polish and Ukrainian activities. Please be patient
– The president said in an interview with the portal conducted when Andrzej Duda returned from a visit to Kiev.
Relations between countries
As he assessed, “it’s understandable that the topic would return.”
But the most important thing is to build relations between our countries for the future: relations based on historical truth, fundamental justice, but also mutual understanding and mutual forgiveness. This is very important
– emphasized Andrzej Duda.
On July 11, the National Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide perpetrated by Ukrainian nationalists against the citizens of the Second Polish Republic is celebrated. The holiday on July 11 coincides with the anniversary of the events of July 11 and 12, 1943, when the UPA launched a coordinated attack on the Polish population in about 150 towns in the districts of Włodzimierz, Horochów, Kowel, and Łuck. It used to mean that people gathered in churches on Sunday, July 11.
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mly/PAP