6 May, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko took part in the opening ceremony of the Polish-Ukrainian Congress of Historians, held on 6–8 May at the Baranów Sandomierski Castle in the Republic of Poland. The Congress organised by the Mieroszewski Centre headed by Łukasz Adamski jointly with the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, chaired by Oleksandr Alfyorov.

The event brought together more than 100 leading historians from Ukraine and Poland to discuss complex issues of the shared past and explore common approaches to their interpretation.

The opening ceremony was also attended by Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Government Commissioner for the Reconstruction of Ukraine Paweł Kowal, Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland Marek Krawczyk, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Poland Vasyl Bodnar, Chargé d’Affaires of Poland in Ukraine Piotr Łukasiewicz, Deputy Head of the Institute of National Remembrance of Poland Karol Polejowski, as well as other representatives of the Ukrainian and Polish sides.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Olexandr Mischenko underscored the importance of a systematic historical dialogue between Ukraine and Poland. He noted that, owing to the political decisions taken in recent years at the level of Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Radosław Sikorski, appropriate conditions had been created for moving from declarations to practical cooperation in the field of historical memory. He stressed that history should remain an area of professional discussion among researchers, while the role of politicians is to ensure the necessary conditions for such dialogue.

The Deputy Minister particularly highlighted the importance of the Ukrainian-Polish partnership in the context of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. Olexandr Mischenko stressed that Russia seeks to exploit historical issues as a tool of disinformation and for fuelling tensions between the societies of Ukraine and Poland. In this regard, joint work on difficult chapters of history constitutes an important component of countering Russian hybrid threats and strengthening common security.

The Ukrainian diplomat also thanked Poland for its comprehensive political, defence and humanitarian support for Ukraine, emphasising that Ukrainian-Polish cooperation in the field of security and defence is of strategic importance not only for the two countries, but also for the security of Europe as a whole.

Over the course of three days, participants of the Congress will discuss both theoretical aspects of historical memory and various stages of Ukrainian-Polish relations throughout different historical periods.

The Congress aims to deepen mutual understanding between Ukraine and Poland in the historical sphere, promote professional dialogue, and lay the groundwork for further systematic cooperation in the field of historical memory.