Kyiv on so-called day of remembrance of ‘victims of OUN and UPA’: Poles should not look for enemies among Ukrainians
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Ukraine called the decision of the Polish Sejm to establish a day of remembrance of the victims of the so-called "genocide committed by the OUN and UPA" as "contrary to the spirit of good neighbourly relations between Ukraine and Poland."
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers the decision of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland to establish 11 July as a Day of Remembrance for the victims of the so-called ‘genocide committed by the OUN and UPA in the eastern territories of the Second Polish Republic’ to fly in the face of the spirit of good neighbourly relations between Ukraine and Poland," the ministry said in a statement.
"Such unilateral steps do not contribute to achieving mutual understanding and reconciliation, which our countries have been working on for a long time, particularly in the format of the Joint Ukrainian-Polish Working Group on Historical Issues, which operates with the participation of the ministries of culture and national memory institutions from both countries," the ministry said.
"Ukraine consistently advocates for a scientific and unbiased study of the complex pages of our shared history. We are convinced that the path to true reconciliation lies through dialogue, mutual respect and joint work by historians, rather than through unilateral political assessments," the ministry said.
"We urge the Polish side to refrain from steps that could lead to increased tension in bilateral relations and undermine the achievements gained through constructive dialogue and cooperation between Ukraine and Poland. Despite the bias and political context of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland's decision, we continue to conduct search and exhumation work in Ukraine and Poland, respectively. We have already achieved practical results in this area, which should be developed further in the future," the ministry said.
"Once again, we remind you that Poles should not look for enemies among Ukrainians, and Ukrainians should not look for enemies among Poles. We have a common enemy – Russia. For the sake of the common strength, freedom and security of our two friendly countries, we must resolve problematic issues together, rather than exacerbating them," the ministry said.