Poland has recovered a historical archive of its World War II-era ambassador to Turkey, Michał Sokolnicki, a daily reported.

Sokolnicki served as the Polish envoy to Turkey from 1936 to 1945. Earlier he was a close aide of statesman Józef Piłsudski, the key architect of Poland’s independence, the Rzeczpospolita daily reported.

Eight parcels containing documents dating back to the 1930s-'60s have been handed over to the Polish embassy in Ankara, Turkey, by donor Herman Wober, according to the newspaper.

The collection includes “Sokolnicki’s family heirloom, manuscripts, photographs, negatives, personal notes and his foreign ministry work pass,” Rzeczpospolita said.

Some of the documents may involve Poles who were deported to the Soviet Union during World War II and who later left that country with a Polish army formed under the command of Gen. Władysław Anders, according to Rzeczpospolita.

The recovered documents offer an extensive insight into the history of Polish diplomacy, the daily said, citing sources from diplomatic circles.

The archive is yet to be scrutinised by historians.

National Security Bureau chief Paweł Soloch met with Wober in Ankara on Thursday.

In a special letter, Polish President Andrzej Duda has thanked Wober for protecting and handing over the ambassador’s historical collection, Soloch told the daily.

Soloch said that Sokolnicki was “an important figure for the history of Poland and a symbol of Polish-Turkish friendship and collaboration.”

He added that the ambassador "had a major impact" on relations between the two countries.

(aba/gs)

Source: Rzeczpospolita