Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Cornelia Pieper today (10 April) sent a message of condolence to her Polish opposite number, State Secretary and Commissioner for International Dialogue Prof. Władysław Bartoszewski.

The message reads as follows:

”I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria and a large number of politicians and officials in the plane crash in Smolensk. It is a tragedy that the President and the prominent public figures accompanying him died on their way to the ceremonies to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. This is a great shock for the Polish nation and all friends of Poland. Permit me to offer my profound condolences to you, to the families who have lost loved ones and to all our Polish friends.“