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Polish defense chief opposes joint events with Germany to mark WWII outbreak anniversary

Poland hosts the regular commemmorative event in September in Gdansk where some 200 representatives of Germany have been invited

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak AP Photo/Petr David Josek

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak

© AP Photo/Petr David Josek

WARSAW, July 31. /TASS/. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has spoken out against joint events with Germany in Gdansk to mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII.

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"In Gdansk, people will sing and rejoice over the fact that Germany attacked Poland," he told the Polish TV on Wednesday, referring to the events scheduled to be held by the Reconciliation foundation on September 1.

The issue at hand is a Polish-German initiative, which provides for a visit of about 200 German representatives to Gdansk to take part in the so-called joint Life March.

According to Blaszczak, "this is not the best occasion for unity." "Reconciliation should be based on calling a spade a spade rather than eroding the boundaries between victims and butchers. The Poles were the victims, while the Germans were those who killed them, and that should be remembered," the minister stressed.

"Actions of that type obscure that awareness," he added.

Events in memory of Nazi Germany’s attack on Poland, which marked the beginning of World War II, are traditionally held in Poland at dawn in the town of Gdansk, Westerplatte peninsula, where at 4:48 am on September 1, 1939, the German SMS Schleswig-Holstein battleship opened fire on the Polish military depots located along the coast.

This year, the main events to mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII will be held in Warsaw. Poland sent invitations to the NATO, EU and Eastern Partnership states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). About 30 representatives of these countries, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump, have confirmed their participation.

The Polish administration decided not to invite Russia for the commemoration, saying that the Soviet Union was not involved in WWII on September 1, 1939. Warsaw also stated that it wanted to mark the anniversary with the countries it closely cooperates with now.

For his part, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that "any memorial events in any countries dedicated to the anniversaries of either the Great Patriotic War or World War II cannot be considered full-fledged without Russia's participation," because Russia’s role in the Victory over Nazism cannot be overestimated.

A total of 600,000 Soviet soldiers lost their lives while liberating Poland from the Nazis who invaded the country in 1939.

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