Polish Foreign Minister comes to terms with his Ukrainian counterpart on exhumation of Volyn tragedy victims

Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, after which he announced that Kyiv assured there are no obstacles to carrying out exhumation works for victims of the Volyn tragedy in Ukraine. [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: Sikorski at a press conference in Warsaw, as reported by European Pravda, citing PAP, a Polish press agency

Details: Sikorski stated that he discussed Ukraine's future in the EU with Sybiha, and a declaration regarding exhumation efforts in Volyn will be adopted following their meeting.

Quote: "Ukraine confirms there are no obstacles for Polish state institutions or private entities to collaborate with relevant Ukrainian authorities in conducting search and exhumation efforts on Ukrainian territory in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. Ukraine also expresses its readiness to positively consider applications on these matters." 

For his part, Sybiha stated that both Kyiv and Warsaw are interested in resolving misunderstandings regarding historical issues.

Quote from Sybiha: "Every family has the right to honour the memory of their ancestors with dignity, and through the joint Ukrainian-Polish working group under the ministries of culture of both countries, we are developing practical mechanisms for conducting search and exhumation efforts." 

The events in Volyn from 1943 to 1945, referred to as the Volyn tragedy in Ukrainian historiography and the Volyn massacre in Polish historiography, remain a contentious issue in bilateral relations.

Background:

• Warsaw has previously stated that resolving historical disputes will be one of the preconditions for Ukraine’s EU accession.
• The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory recently announced plans to include the search and exhumation of the remains of Poles in Rivne Oblast in 2025, responding to requests from Polish citizens.

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