TEHRAN – Germany's attack on Poland on 1 September 1939 marked the beginning of World War II. On 17 September 1939, the Red Army crossed the borders of the Republic of Poland, thus implementing the provisions of the Hitler-Stalin Alliance: the Ribbentrop–Molotov Pact – an agreement between the USSR and the German Reich.

The secret protocol provided for the division of my country between the Soviet Union and Germany and established spheres of influence in Central and Eastern Europe. The Poles fought a heroic but unequal battle against two totalitarian tyrannies. In the occupied country, the Germans and Soviets introduced terror and repression on a massive scale.

The most widespread and devastating form of repression used by the Soviet Russia was deportation to the depths of the USSR. Between 1940 and 1941, at least 315,000 Polish citizens were deported. Their tragedy began with a journey lasting several weeks in cattle trucks, in the extreme temperatures of the Siberian winter or summer. Many sick and elderly people and many children died during the journey. Most of those deported were sent to perform exhausting labour in difficult climatic conditions in forests and mines. Polish soldiers and policemen who were taken prisoner by the Soviets in 1939 were placed in special NKVD camps in Kozelsk, Starobelsk and Ostashkov. They were executed as part of the Katyn massacre, on the basis of a resolution of the highest Soviet authorities of 5 March 1940.

Only after having been invaded by Germany – their former ally - in 1941, the Soviet Union recognised the Polish Government in Exile and – after long negotiations - granted an “amnesty” to Polish citizens held in the USSR. They were allowed to leave the labour camps, join the newly formed Polish Army and eventually leave the Soviet territory to Iran.

Many of General Anders Army soldiers and their families that came to Iran from Soviet Russia were emaciated and disease-ridden after years of hunger, exhausting labour and deprivation. Despite struggling with its own wartime occupation by British and Soviet forces, people of Iran extended remarkable hospitality towards the newly arrived Poles, providing medical care, clothing and food. 

Poles never forgot and will never forget the Iranian hospitality

Poles never forgot and will never forget the warmth and the hospitality that were offered by Iranians in this dramatic 1942. This very special bond linking Poland to Iran is celebrated during official commemorations like the visit of Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs to Tehran in 2022. Mr. Zbigniew Rau paid an official visit to Iran in 2022, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the arrival of Polish refugees. The high level of visit proved once again, the special character of Polish-Iranian relations.

The events of 1942 are a fact well known to ordinary Poles. In many Polish families there is a memory of a relative that was “deported by the Russians, survived the Soviet camps and was saved in Iran”. And these memories of Iran are always positive. Even this year, a group of Polish bikers came to Iran, visited the Polish Cemeteries in Ahvaz, Bandar Anzali, Mashhad and Tehran to recall these events and to thank the Iranian people. 

Polish cemeteries in Bandar Anzali, Tehran, Ahvaz, Isfahan and Mashhad are not just historical sites indicating the presence of refugees but remain living symbols of compassion and mutual respect between the Iranian and Polish people. 

Maybe the best illustration of the fact of vivid Polish memory and gratitude is the case of Farid Kazemi, an Iranian truck driver. In December 2019, his old lorry finally broke down in Poland. Learning that an Iranian was in troubles, his Polish colleagues and ordinary citizens initiated an online fundraiser, thanks to which they were able to buy him a new lorry, which he happily returned home in. This rather unusual story was widely reported by Polish and Iranian media.

Why does Russia want to have a say in Polish-Iranian relations?

Our Minister’s speech in the British Parliament was not focused on Iran. It was entirely dedicated to the threat that Russia poses to peace in Europe. He emphasized that Russia’s aggression goes far beyond conventional warfare, amounting to a systematic campaign of annihilation that disregards both international law and the basic principles of humanity. 

Minister Sikorski made his speech condemning the Russian use of drones – many of which reached Polish territory in September - and emphasizing the danger that indiscriminate use of force by a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council poses to the world peace. 

The drone attacks in Ukraine, often deployed in residential neighbourhoods, schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure, have become commonplace, causing civilian deaths and widespread destruction. The consequences of Russian invasion of Ukraine, disguised as “liberation of Ukraine from fascism” are obvious to all: shells ripping through residential blocks, civilians executed during housesearches and thousands of Ukrainian children abducted to Russia. 

In this context, we appreciate that Iran has refused to adopt the Russian narrative of a “justified” war with fascism. On the contrary, it has consistently emphasized its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, explicitly condemning acts of aggression against the country. It is precisely in the context of this destructive war of annihilation, characterized by indiscriminate violence and systematic targeting of civilian areas.

Regardless of Russian narratives, aimed at sowing distrust between countries, Poland’s relations with Iran have remained consistently positive and grounded in mutual respect. 

Even amid global tensions, these bilateral ties demonstrate that diplomacy built on respect and understanding can endure, resisting attempts by third parties to manipulate or fracture partnerships. 

Having behind more than 550 years of diplomatic relations, Poland and Iran will soon be celebrating 100 years of the Treaty of Friendship of 1927, a Treaty that has remained in force ever since.