Fresh Russian-Polish crisis looms

Already tense Polish-Russian relations get worse following alleged closure of an exhibition of Russian war-time martyrology at Auschwitz.

Kommiersant newspaper has claimed the closure of the Russian exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum is a way of pressuring Moscow to officially admit that the Soviet Army had occupied parts of Polish territory during World War Two.

Jaroslaw Mensfelt, spokesman for the Museum, says four years ago the Russian side decided to establish a new national exhibition, so the natural consequence was to close the old one in order to prepare and mount another, which is time consuming. The old exhibition has been closed since 2004.

' There remain some divergencies, discrepancies concerning some of the wordings in the exhibition. We've been in contact with the Russian side and discussions are underway. We hope that as soon as all this is cleared, it will be [possible to open this exhibition to visitors, which is very needed and importatnt.'

So, why is Russia protesting the case only now, three years after the closing of the exhibition? Pawel Zalewski, head of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, is of the opinion that the present allegations are part of a wider policy game of the Kremlin regarding the Polish veto on the EU-Russia agreement.

' I think this is yet another element of pressure directed at Poland in connection with the veto. This time the Russian side over did it. The stand presented by Poland in regard to allegations concerning the Auschwitz Museum is not only its own position, but that of the entire International Auschwitz Council. I think that this kind of approach by Russia rather discredits it in the eyes of the international community than strengthens its cause.'

Przemyslaw Jaron from the Center For International Relations in Warsaw also views the Russian action as a lithmus paper sporadically re-applied to sound out Polish determination on a number of issues.

' We can treat it as a kind of test which Russia is putting on Poland. Relations between Russia and Poland have been very difficult lately and Russia is trying to see how tough Poland is, how Poland will behave in different fields. Not only in political and economic areas, but also in the field of history, in our cultural relations. We can treat this as a test, for sure.'

Jaroslaw Mensfelt, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum spokesman, points out that the institution has the status of a national memorial and must comply with state regulations governing its operations. This excludes any individual treatment of countries and nationalities represented in its exhibitions.

' The French, who established their new exhibition not so long ago, went through the same procedures as the Dutch did and as the Russians are now. So, this is not a question of problems. This is just a regular working procedure aimed at opening an exhibition, which should be done according to professional requirements.'

The Polish side is hopeful that consultations with the Russian embassy in Warsaw will be sufficient to clear up the misunderstanding created by the article in the Kommiersant newspaper.

Russian behaviour ‘provocative’ says Zalewski

Head of the Polish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Pawel Zalewski has said that Russia’s policy towards Poland boils down to provoking and testing reactions.

In his opinion, Moscow blew a dispute over a Russian exhibition in the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum out of proportion.

Last Tuesday, a Russian newspaper reported that the museum authorities at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp closed the Russian national exhibition, sparking an angry reaction from Russia. The museum director explained the step was taken in 2004.

The bone of contention is that Moscow labeled Polish citizens from former Polish eastern territories annexed by the Soviet Union in 1939 as Soviet. Also citizens of the Baltic states were described as Soviet victims of the Nazis.

“I think that Russia went too far because the stand on its exhibition at Auschwitz is not just Polish but an international stand, supported by all the members of the Auschwitz Council. Russia’s position brings shame to it on the international scene”, Zalewski told Polish Radio One.

He believes the Polish authorities should not present their official stand as the voice of the Auschwitz Council is strong enough.

Poland does not want conflicts with Russia. We would like to reach accord and are making gestures to this effect, Zalewski said giving an example of Poland’s signals that it may take a more flexible stand on talks on a new cooperation agreement between the EU and Russia.

http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/gb/dokument.aspx?iid=50614

Statement on the exhibition entitled, Â“Martyrdom of the USSR nations during the Great Patriotic War in the years 1941-1945Â”

The so-called national exhibitions have been located on the grounds of the former Auschwitz I camp since 1960. Those exhibitions were prepared by some of the countries which had been occupied by German Nazis during World War II and whose citizens had been deported to Auschwitz.

In recent years new exhibitions have replaced the old ones, being mounted Â– among others Â– by Slovakia, Czech Republic, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. According to a standard procedure the national exhibitions are organized in cooperation between the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and the representative of a given state.

The first national exhibition of the then USSR was opened in the Museum in 1961. It was partially reorganized in 1977, and completely changed in 1985.

In 2003 the Russian party put a proposal to create a new exhibition and as a result the former exhibition was closed.

While developing the new exhibition in 2004 the Museum was given its scenario. At that time divergences arose concerning some matter-of-fact issues between the Russian party and the Museum, and to date the problem has remained unsolved.

The divergences concern the nomenclature used in relation to the population and territories, which Â– due to the USSR activities resulting from the Ribbentropp-Molotov pact Â– came under its control in the years 1939-1941. They included the Baltic States, eastern territories of the Republic of Poland and a part of Romania, whose population by no means can be viewed as USSR citizens as they did not renounce voluntarily their former citizenship and did not accept, as the result of an independent decision, the Soviet citizenship.

The position of the Museum is supported by the International Auschwitz Council headed by Prof. Władysław Bartoszewski. The Council comprises former prisoners of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp as well as historians and experts in the field from various countries.

Talks with the Russian party are in progress. They aim at finding a comprehensive solution taking into account various sensitivities of all involved parties which will make it possible to open the exhibition to visitors.

On January 27, 2006, during the 60th anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation, the uncompleted exhibition was visited by Wladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. The President was informed that the exhibition had not been completed by that time and therefore remained closed to visitors.

http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/new/index.php?tryb=news_big&language=EN&id=1256

Members of the International Auschwitz Council (term 2006-2012):

1. Prof. Władyslaw Bartoszewski - chairman, Poland
2. Prof. Israel Gutman - vice-chairman, Israel
3. Stefan Wilkanowicz - vice-chairman, Poland
4. Kazimierz Albin, Poland
5. rabbi Andrew Baker, USA
6. Ph.D. Hava Ben Sasson, Israel
7. Sara Bloomfield, USA
8. Ph.D. Piotr M.A. Cywiński, Poland
9. Ph.D. Father Manfred Deselaers, Germany
10. Prof. Wacław Długoborski, Poland
11. Henryk Flug, Israel
12. Christoph Heubner, Germany
13. Ołeksandr Jewhenowycz Łysenko, Ukraine
14. Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska, Poland
15. Dr Richard Prasquier, France
16. Romani Rose, Germany
17. Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska, Poland
18. Avner Shalev, Israel
19. Kalman Sultanik, USA
20. Prof. JÃ³zef Szajna, Poland
21. Leszek Szuster, Poland
22. Marian Turski, Poland
23. Prof. Jonathan Webber, Great Britain
24. Jerzy WrÃ³blewski, Poland
25. Marek Zając, Poland

http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/new/index.php?language=EN&tryb=stale&id=428

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