The possible adoption by the Polish parliament of a decision to recognize OUN-UPA as criminal organizations is not in the spirit of strategic relations between the two countries, Acting Director of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's Information Policy Department Yevhen Perebyinis has said.
“Of course, the possible, even hypothetical, adoption of this resolution by the Polish parliament is not in line with the high level of strategic relations between Ukraine and Poland,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, while answering a question from Interfax-Ukraine.
He said Kyiv wants to do everything possible to worthily honor the victims of the Ukrainian-Polish conflict during World War II, but is opposed to the politicization of tragic pages of history.
“Relations between Ukraine and Poland, for the more than 20 years of Ukraine’s independence, have become an example of how such controversial issues are resolved… We hope that all issues that arise will be resolved in such a spirit and will not be politicized,” Perebyinis said.
He added that Kyiv is of the opinion that historians, rather than politicians should deal with questions of historical events.
As reported, on April 11, the Sejm of Poland registered a draft resolution on the recognition of OUN-UPA as criminal organizations that committed genocide against the Poles in 1939-1947.
The draft resolution proposes recognizing the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), SS Galicia and Ukrainian police in German service as criminal organizations. It notes that only the specified groups, rather than the entire Ukrainian people are accused of this genocide.
