Answering the question whether the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement evokes his protest, the Polish President said determinedly, "Yes."
A commentary disseminated by the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out, "the term "occupation" cannot be used to give a legal evaluation of the situation in the Baltic states at the end of the 1930's, because between the Soviet Union and the Baltic countries were not in a state of war and the military actions were not conducted on their territories at the time. The entrance of Russian troops was carried out on the basis of mutual accords and with a clear consent on the part of national authorities at the time."
As a result, the Russian foreign ministry officials believe "any claims, including material compensation claims for the alleged harm caused by the events of 1940, are groundless."
The Russian Foreign Ministry denounced the attempts "to compare the Soviet policies of the period with actions conducted by Nazi Germany, which waged a war of aggression in Europe with the goal of enslaving or exterminating entire nations."
Aleksander Kwasniewski believes Russian position "on the annexation of the Baltic states in 1940 will have significance for future relations between Moscow and Brussels."
In addition, the Polish President pointed out that he could not imagine Russian President Vladimir Putin making statements during the May 9 celebrations in Moscow that might somehow spoil the relations between Moscow and the EU or the US.
The Polish President expects Russian authorities to change their attitude toward interpretation of history. Aleksander Kwasniewski stated in particular, "The Russian Federation would like to be partner of the European Union, and its attitude to the interpretation of history, its readiness to conduct a sincere dialogue about the outcome of World War II will certainly influence its relations with the EU."
