We forgive and ask for forgiveness – this formula should bring Ukraine and Poland back on the path to understanding and reconciliation, says Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk
Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk, together with Marshal of the Senate of Poland Malgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Ukrainian and Polish parliamentarians, government officials, diplomats, public figures, and historians took part in the reburial ceremony of the remains of 42 people exhumed in the former village of Puzhnyky (Ternopil region).
Representatives of Ukraine and Poland gathered to honour the memory and give a dignified send-off to the victims of the tragic events of the Ukrainian-Polish confrontation during the Second World War.
‘Ukraine met Poland halfway and allowed exhumation work in Puzhnyky and other localities, even under the very difficult conditions of russian aggression and terror against the civilian population. Ukraine met Poland halfway not for political reasons, but for humanitarian and Christian considerations,’ emphasised Olena Kondratiuk.
She stressed that the Volhynia tragedy is a shared pain and tragedy for both the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, and that both Ukrainians and Poles suffered in this conflict.
‘We forgive and ask for forgiveness – it is this formula, which has always been advocated by the Presidents of Ukraine and Poland, that should bring us back to the path of understanding and reconciliation,’ Olena Kondratiuk is convinced.
The Deputy Speaker emphasised that the victims of the Volhynia tragedy on both sides deserve to have their names established, to be given a dignified burial and to be remembered. Their families on both sides have the right to know the truth and to visit the resting places of their relatives – both in Ukraine and in Poland.
‘We all bow our heads in memory of the Ukrainian and Polish victims of the Volhynia tragedy, strongly condemn the crimes committed against Ukrainians and Poles, and condemn those who committed them!’ said Olena Kondratiuk.
According to her, on 30 September, the first search and exhumation work in many years is planned at the site of Ukrainian burials in the village of Yurechkovo near Przemysl in Poland. ‘I welcome this reciprocal step by the Polish side,’ said Olena Kondratiuk.
The Deputy Speaker noted the importance of the search and exhumation work being carried out jointly and in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine and Poland.
‘This is a positive result of constructive dialogue between the Ukrainian-Polish Working Group of the Ministries of Culture of the two countries. This joint work should continue in the future. I am also grateful to all the experts and representatives of public organisations in Ukraine and Poland who are involved,’ said Olena Kondratiuk.
The Deputy Speaker believes that the Volhynia tragedy should be assessed by historians at a professional scientific level, based on constructive dialogue.
"We are ready for this! That is why I support and call for the resumption of the joint Forum of Historians of Ukraine and Poland. I propose to hold a joint meeting of the heads of the Institutes of National Remembrance of both states in the near future," emphasised Olena Kondratiuk.
The Vice Speaker also noted that Ukraine, as a state, has done a great deal to reconcile and honour the memory of Poles who died in various periods of the 20th century.
‘At the level of all presidents and governments, words of forgiveness have always been spoken. Our intellectual communities have written open letters to each other asking for forgiveness for historical insults. This was the case in 2016,’ Olena Kondratiuk recalled.
Recently, she said, another historic event took place in the Polish Sejm – the first joint Prayer Breakfast, as a platform for dialogue between politicians and religious organisations from Ukraine and Poland.
‘This reminds us that Christian values and humanity are what unite us most. “There is no justice without forgiveness, and no cooperation without mutual openness!” said Pope John Paul II, calling for historic reconciliation and unity between Ukrainians and Poles,’ emphasised Olena Kondratiuk.
She believes that a better future for Ukraine and Poland lies in peace, security and cooperation within the large European family, ‘without politicising tragedies and old grievances, in the spirit of reconciled memory.’
The event was also attended by Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Mishchenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturaiev, Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland Marta Cienkowska, Chairman of the Polish Sejm Committee on Foreign Affairs Paweł Kowal, Minister in the Chancellery of the President of Poland Maciej Przydacz, Member of the European Parliament Michał Dworczyk and others.