Rada responds to Polish Parliament's decision on Volyn tragedy

The Ukrainian legislators have called on their Polish counterparts to stop politicizing the tragic pages of Ukrainian-Polish history and to focus their efforts on building up constructive relations between Ukraine and Poland in order to strengthen partnership in the democratic Europe, based on European values.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Thursday, September 8, passed Resolution No.5095 in connection with the adoption by the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland of the resolutions dated July 7, 2016 and July 22, 2016 "On the assessment of the Polish-Ukrainian conflict during the World War II." 

The statement of the Ukrainian parliament was supported by 247 of 335 deputies registered in the session hall. According to the adopted resolution, the Verkhovna Rada "took with regret, disappointment and deep concern the decision of the Senate and the subsequent resolution of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of July 22, 2016, ‘On the perpetuation of the memory of victims of genocide committed by the Ukrainian nationalists against the citizens of the Second Rzeczpospolita in 1943-1945’ which gave a politically and legally incorrect assessment of the tragic pages of Ukrainian-Polish history, regarding the events, in particular, the conflict between the two nations during the World War II."

The statement reads that the Verkhovna Rada considers "the establishment by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of the ‘National Day of Remembrance for victims of the genocide committed by the Ukrainian nationalists against the citizens of the Second Rzeczpospolita in 1943-1945’ a manifestation of politicization of tragic pages of Ukrainian-Polish history."

The Verkhovna Rada also condemns the unilateral action of the Senate and the Sejm of the Republic of Poland to revise the positive results of cooperation that have been achieved during the constructive Ukrainian-Polish dialogue over the past decades. 

In this regard, the Ukrainian deputies call on their Polish colleagues to stop the politicization of the tragic pages of Ukrainian-Polish history and to focus their efforts on building up constructive relations between Ukraine and Poland, in order to strengthen partnership in the democratic Europe, based on European values. The Verkhovna Rada notes that the adoption of the resolutions of the Senate and the Sejm of the Republic of Poland was accompanied by an anti-Ukrainian campaign involving the destruction of Ukrainian monuments on the territory of Poland, attacks on members of religious festivities, the ban on cultural activities, and chauvinistic rhetoric. 

The Ukrainian parliament draws attention of the Polish deputies, all Polish authorities and the public to the fact that anti-Ukrainian actions and incitement of anti-Ukrainian sentiments unfold at the moment of the greatest vulnerability of the Ukrainian state, which is at war with the Russian Federation.

"In this war, the aggressor uses historical issues, in particular, the events of 1940-ies of the 20th century as one of the elements of its war against our country," reads the statement. The Verkhovna Rada calls on historians to continue their professional dialogue with a view to disclose all facts and circumstances of history, hitherto unexplained, based on authentic archive material, leaving some space for each party to interpret the historical facts. At the same time, the Ukrainian parliament calls on politicians of both Ukraine and Poland to stop instrumentalizing historical science for the sake of temporary political benefits.

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