Germany and Poland marked the 35th anniversary of their landmark friendship treaty on Wednesday by pledging closer cooperation on security and defence, while acknowledging that historical issues continue to shape their relationship.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Polish counterpart, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, signed a new agreement in Warsaw aimed at expanding military cooperation between the two NATO allies.
The ceremony marked the 35th anniversary of the 1991 German-Polish Neighbourhood Treaty, which cemented ties between post-communist Poland and the newly reunified Germany.
The neighbouring countries were thus taking responsibility for their future within Europe, Pistorius told journalists. NATO's eastern flank would be strengthened through closer cooperation.
"There is no security without Poland, without Germany. There is no security without our values, without our membership in the EU and NATO," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Pistorius said the agreement opened up new possibilities for cooperation on cybersecurity and cutting-edge technologies, the PAP news agency reported.
The German government said the agreement underscores both countries' commitment to mutual assistance within the framework of the European Union and NATO.
Germany, Poland mark 35 years of post-Cold War ties
Meanwhile, a German-Polish Forum in Berlin drew 700 participants, including German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski, with several historical objects returned to Warsaw decades after the end of World War II.
"Mindful of the tragic history of the 20th century, we bear a special responsibility for our region and our continent as allies in NATO and partners in the European Union," Wadephul said.
Both ministers called for better cross-border transport links, arguing that improved rail and infrastructure connections would strengthen economic ties while also enhancing military mobility.
"Together, Germany and Poland form the backbone of European defence and NATO’s deterrence against the Russian threat," he added. "Whoever invests in German-Polish railway tracks is also investing in friendship and defence."
Sikorski further noted that Polish investment and acquisitions in Germany are increasing.
But he also pointed to the burdens of the past. “The last surviving witnesses of World War II are dying, including people who suffered particularly severely from German crimes: concentration camp prisoners and forced labourers,” he said. “We have special obligations toward them, both morally and materially.”
Ex-ambassador honoured as gold ring returned
Janusz Reiter, the first ambassador of post-communist Poland to Berlin, was honoured at the forum for his outstanding contribution to German-Polish understanding.
The Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Centre was also recognized for its educational work on both sides of the Oder River, which forms the border between the two countries.
Also at the forum, Germany handed over a historic ring belonging to the Polish monarchy that was stolen during World War II, with Polish Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska on hand to receive it.
The gold ring, set with a 3.5-carat diamond, dates from the 16th century and is believed to have belonged to King Sigismund I of the Jagiellonian dynasty.
"Eighty years after the end of World War II, cultural property looted during the war and the occupation can now be returned to Poland in close cooperation with the custodial institutions and the Polish authorities," said Wadephul.
The ring was taken from Warsaw to the village of Sienawa shortly before the German invasion of Poland in 1939. There, German troops looted the collection. In 1963, the ring was donated to a museum in Pforzheim, near Stuttgart.
Pforzheim Mayor Peter Boch, described the return as an act of historical responsibility. “We see this step as a sign of respect and friendship towards our Polish neighbours,” he said.
A medieval manuscript containing part of the text of the old Polish anthem ‘Gaude Mater Polonia’ is also returning to Poland from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in Berlin.
In addition, model trains and accessories belonging to the Warsaw Transport Museum, but which had been stolen from there in 1940, were returned after being traced to the collections of the German Technology Museum in Berlin.
Far-right agitator stopped by police
German-Polish relations have improved considerably in recent decades, but reparations for Germany's war crimes during World War II remain a sticking point between Berlin and Warsaw.
An estimated 5 million Polish people were killed by Nazi Germany during the war, including around 3 million Polish Jews in the Holocaust.
In December, the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, passed a motion to create a permanent memorial in Berlin to Poland's World War II victims.
The move came after a provisional commemorative stone was unveiled last June at a site near the Chancellery in the German capital to pay homage to the victims.
On Tuesday, the Polish far-right agitator Robert Bakiewicz caused a stir in the German capital after attempting to erect a cross at the site of the future memorial without police approval.
Six people were reportedly detained by police.
