Right speech, right place

Commemorating the beginning of World War Two 75 years ago in times of a non-declared war at the heart of Europe is, by its nature, a delicate task. And it's particularly difficult if the keynote speaker at the German parliament's memorial service is Polish. Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski did a marvelous job, however. In an almost effusive manner, he praised the German-Polish reconciliation process after 1945; he spoke of a "good community of fate" and of a "community of responsibility." Those were very suitable words - for historic reasons, but also against the background of Russian aggression in Ukraine and of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Critics would object (and rightly so) that on this occasion of commemoration, the Polish president should also have mentioned the millions of Soviet victims of the war that Hitler started. But his failure to do so can hardly belittle the overall impression of a speech that focused on the current threat of peace in Europe, while making all the necessary references to past events.

Family history as a mirror image of European tragedy

Komorowski's speech didn't please everybody, but that wasn't his intention, either. As the senior representative of a country that was divided up among warmongers on several occasions in its history, he opted for a passionate peace plea. That was a good decision in light of all the current crises and wars (Ukraine, Syria, Iraq). They all have to be seen as a consequence of lessons not learnt from history and of a lack of freedom. Komorowski has a high degree of sensitivity when he feels right-wing or left-wing ideologies question or threaten the lessons widely drawn from Europe's past - not least because of his own family history. The credibility of his person and statements are rooted in his Polish-Lithuanian roots.

Komorowski's relatives were repeatedly caught in the political crossfire over time; there were cases of expropriation, forced resettlement and murder. The persecutors were both Hitler's aides and Stalin's. And the Polish president himself served several jail sentences because of his long battle for freedom and human dignity in Communist Poland. As such, a "living witness to history" (as Komorowski described himself), with a strong moral reputation, spoke about war and peace in the German parliament. He also quoted a fellow moral authority, former German President Richard von Weizsäcker: "He who closes his eyes to the past becomes blind to the present."

Understandable trust in NATO

Komorowski left no doubt about how much he feels peace and freedom are in danger in light of current threats - understandably so. It was good that he seized the opportunity to appeal to the larger European countries' sense of responsibility. Busy looking at their own problems, Germany, France and Britain have lost sight of the bigger picture all too often in the past. It's no surprise that Komorowski - as well as the country he leads, with its particular history - would feel troubled by such behavior.

Even 75 years after the beginning of World War Two, the Polish president was well within his rights to praise the North-Atlantic defense alliance as a guarantor for the security of his country and of Europe as a whole - in light of Russian expansion tactics. It would have been both nice and appropriate, of course, to seize the opportunity in Berlin to also stress the importance of the United Nations in the post-1945 period, and not just NATO's. But from a Polish perspective, in particular, NATO has proven to be the decisive security guarantor since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.

Just a dream for now: Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow

Unfortunate as it might be: Komorowski's speech in Berlin will probably not be taken the right way in Moscow. The Polish president's statements represent an offer for talks with the Kremlin. Komorowski praised the European integration process as embodying the "capability to make a compromise" - while respecting existing national borders, of course.

To describe his vision of a peaceful Europe that would include Russia in the future, Komorowski chose an appealing image. He said he was hoping for a "motorway of freedom." There already is a motorway between Berlin and Warsaw. But Komorowski said he looks forward to the emergence of an axis leading from Berlin to Warsaw to Moscow. At the same time, he also stressed his readiness to defend the existing connection between the Polish and the German capitals at all costs - and with those comments, he took the words right out of the mouth of his hosts in Berlin.