After several months of hesitation due to Arndt von Loringhoven’s family’s ties to the Nazi German regime, Warsaw has accepted his nomination as Germany’s ambassador to Poland.
Poland’s deputy foreign minister, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, announced the acceptance of von Loringhoven on Monday. While commenting on the nomination, he referred to the challenges ahead of the new ambassador.
Szynkowski vel Sęk pointed out that an important element of dialogue with Poland’s German partners must be attention to Poland’s sensitivity about the issue of the crimes of the Second World War which remain an open wound for Polish national identity.
“Healing the wound is even more difficult if we consider that attempts are made to falsify history and a lack of complete vindication of crimes. In this context, the approach of Germany and German politicians is crucial,” the minister said.
Szynkowski vel Sęk added that historical issues are the most sensitive part of Polish-German relations and are a challenge for any German representative, especially the ambassador.
He emphasized that because Poland was the country most harmed during the Second World War, it has a right to expect complete admission to fault and truthfulness in the name of unity from Germany.
“Today we know, after several talks with our German partners, that the future ambassador is aware of the fundamental meaning of this issue for Poland, and he is prepared to personally engage in promoting knowledge concerning the Second World War among public opinion,” the deputy foreign minister said.
Szynkowski vel Sęk believes that mutual understanding of these historic issues gives the new ambassador an unprecedented chance to make the right steps in the direction of an authentic and historic unity between Poland and Germany.
The nomination of Arndt von Loringhoven had caused controversy, as the future ambassador’s father, Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven had been a high ranking Wehrmacht officer and one of Hitler’s aides.
