Ambassador Bodnar: Ukraine and Poland initiate creation of working group to resolve historical issues
Ukraine and Poland are working to set up a joint working group to resolve problematic historical issues. The meeting may take place in the near future.
This was stated by Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar in a commentary to Ukrinform, Censor.NET reports.
"The main issue on the agenda of our relations is the launch of a bilateral working group to resolve problematic issues in the historical sphere, which will operate under the auspices of the ministries of culture of both countries. We are working on the agenda and want this group to meet as soon as possible," the ambassador said.
The diplomat also announced a meeting between the heads of the Ministries of Culture of Ukraine and Poland, Mykola Tochytskyi and Anna Vrublevska, who will jointly determine where and when the first meeting of the group will take place.
"They should start a dialog on a politically sensitive topic: honoring memorial sites in Ukraine and Poland and improving the relevant procedures," the Ukrainian diplomat emphasized.
Bodnar also added that such an initiative as the "Flame of Brotherhood" is an indicator of the openness of the two societies to honor the sites of memory in a worthy manner, in accordance with the traditions existing in both countries.
Questions about the exhumation of victims of the Volyn tragedy
As reported, in September, the Polish Foreign Ministry said that without resolving the issue of the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy, Ukraine cannot dream of joining the EU. At the same time, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that attempts to block Ukraine's accession to the European Union play into the hands of Vladimir Putin's policy.
During his visit to Warsaw on October 1, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine is ready to discuss with Poland controversial issues of common history, including the Volyn tragedy of 1943-1944.
On October 2, the UINP stated that they plan to conduct search operations for the victims of the Volyn tragedy in 2025. The Institute also stated that it remains open to cooperation with Polish institutions in the field of searching, preserving and caring for the places of memory of Ukrainians in Poland and Poles in Ukraine, and complained that official inter-institutional mechanisms for resolving problematic issues with the Polish side in the restoration and preservation of places of memory have not been in place for a long time.
Drobovich believes that Ukrainian and Polish officials need to finally move to constructive action "in the problematic issues of exhumation and burials," and proposed a "road map."
On October 4 , the Polish Defense Minister reaffirmed his intention to block Ukraine's accession to the EU until the issue of exhumation and commemoration of the victims of the Volyn tragedy is resolved.
On November 26, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, after speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, said that Kyiv had assured him that there were no obstacles to the search and exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy in Ukraine.
