Walesa: 'We need to make one state from Poland and Germany'

photo: Lech Walesa Institute

Walesa made the remarks in an interview with Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency in the lead up to next month's meeting of Nobel Prize-winners in Warsaw.

Recalling his role as the leader of Solidarity, and the influence the trade union had on other dissidents behind the Iron Curtain, he said that “my struggle led to the reunification of Germany and the creation of the state of Europe.

“We removed the borders,” he added.

“We have gone so far in our technical advancements that we are no longer located in our own countries.

“We need to expand our economic and defence structures, and various others, and make one state from Poland and Germany – Europe,” he said.

“This is the broadening of geographical structures, while the economy and democracy should also be altered,” he reasoned.

“It's Lego bricks.”

Meanwhile, Walesa said that institutions such as the United Nations, NATO and the Council of Europe were “ideas from a past era” and that the world is “badly organised.”

On Poland's relationship with Russia, Walesa reflected that there was much room for progress.

“The Germans have done us a lot more evil, and the relationship we have [with them] now is much better than that with Russia. Why?

“Because after the war, Germany fully confessed to all its dirty tricks. It's necessary to say once and for all who did something evil, full stop. Until we do, the wound won't heal.” (nh)