Poland and Czechia deny fake news about Polish territorial claims
Officials from Poland and Czechia have taken to social media to affirm friendly relations between the two countries after a fake story claimed Poland had territorial claims against Czechia.
On Wednesday, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a statement on X explaining that false reports about Polish territorial claims were circulating online. The ministry clarified that what actually exists is a so-called "territorial debt" — an unresolved issue dating back to a post-war adjustment of the Polish-Czechoslovak border in 1958, involving 368 hectares of land.
The Czech ministry stressed that Poland and Czechia are close partners cooperating in security, energy and infrastructure. Negotiations on the matter have continued since the 1990s, and the two countries' foreign ministers recently made some progress. The Czech ministry thanked Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski for proposing a possible solution on his own initiative.
Politicians rally behind friendship
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted a message in Czech on Wednesday evening, emphasizing that Poland and Czechia are true friends, accompanied by an illustration featuring the cartoon characters Reksio (Polish) and Krtek/Mole (Czech). Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš reposted it, adding images of both countries' flags and a symbolic handshake.
Poland's Foreign Ministry also posted that "our enemies only strengthen our friendship." Czech politician Martin Cvrček expressed his affection for Poland, while another Czech politician, Tomáš Zdechovský, said Russia had tried to drive a wedge between the two nations but achieved the opposite — Czechs and Poles are ready to help each other if either country faces danger.
As previously reported, hackers attacked the website of Polish radio station "Radio PiK" in Bydgoszcz last week, publishing a fabricated article claiming Poland planned to seize part of Czech territory.
