Poland seeks discussion of Volyn exhumations early on in Ukraine's EU accession talks

Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the exhumation of victims of the Volyn tragedy will be considered in the first stage of Ukraine’s EU membership negotiations. [The Volyn (Volhynia) tragedy was a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943 during World War II. It was part of a long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west. Poland considers the Volyn tragedy a genocide of Poles – ed.]

Source: Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Teofil Bartoszewski in a comment for Polsat News, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Bartoszewski mentioned a recent remark by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who said that Poland should not link Ukraine’s EU accession with Ukraine’s consent to the exhumation of victims of the Volyn tragedy.

"The first stage of Ukraine’s EU accession talks will concern the rule of law and the justice system. The issue of exhumation will certainly be discussed in this context," Bartoszewski said.

"If this chapter is not closed, Ukraine will not take any step forward during the next stages," he added.

Bartoszewski noted that the possibility of exhuming the remains of Polish citizens and their proper burial is "something totally obvious in our cultural circle".

"We’re not blackmailing Ukraine, we are just saying that they [the Ukrainians – ed.] must behave in accordance with what European principles require. I think we will eventually reach an agreement on this issue. We don’t want revenge, we don’t require punishment, we just want to give our ancestors a decent burial," Bartoszewski explained.

Background:

• Polish President Andrzej Duda has said he believes that anyone who says that they are going to block Ukraine's EU accession is fitting into Vladimir Putin's policy. 
• It was recently reported that the Polish Foreign Ministry is apparently planning to use Ukraine's European integration aspirations as a tool to put pressure on Kyiv in the coming months, particularly regarding the issue of exhumations of victims of the Volyn tragedy.

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