Polish foreign ministry wants Smolensk plaques removed: report

“Neither the content nor the placing of the plaques were discussed with the Polish side,” PAP cited the ministry as saying in a statement.

Poland expects an explanation and removal of the plaques, the statement added.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz set out Poland’s position to Russia’s ambassador to Warsaw, Sergey Andreyev, at a meeting.

PAP reported on Tuesday that plaques in the Russian language had been placed at the crash site containing, among other things, the 2011 findings of the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK).

An official Russian report placed the blame for the crash on the Poles, a finding that is disputed by many in Poland.

On April 10, 2010 a Polish plane carrying President Lech Kaczyński, his wife and 94 others, including top political and military figures, crashed near Smolensk, western Russia, killing all those on board.

Poland’s ruling conservatives have long challenged an official report into the causes of the disaster issued by the previous Civic Platform-led government, which cited a catalogue of errors on the Polish side, while also pointing to errors made by Russian staff at the control tower of Smolensk Military Airport.

A new commission to probe the crash was set up by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which came to power in Poland in 2015. The party is headed by Jarosław Kaczyński, twin brother of the late President Lech Kaczyński.

The head of the new commission has said that a probe has shown the top officials on board the Polish presidential jet died as a result of an explosion.

(jh/pk)

Source: PAP