Poland

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Poland

• The neighbourhood relations in the national
  debates background and perspectives

Martin Królikowski/ Katarzyna Czerniecka
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Overview

• 1. Polish Foreign Affairs Policy
• Statement of the Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry
  Prof. Adam Daniel Rotfeld Summary
• Relations with Germany
• 2. Polish German Affairs in debate of polish
  political Parties.
• PO, PiS, LPR, SLD
• 3. Polish Eastern Policy after EU access.
• 4. Cooperation between Poland, Germany and France
  on Weimar Triangle Forum.
• Regional Triangle of Weimar - A Regional
  Framework Operation (RFO).

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1. Polish Foreign Affairs Policy

• Statement of the Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry
  Prof. Adam Daniel Rotfeld - Summary

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The Statement at the session of the Sejm on
21st January 2005.

• continue consolidating our place in the European
  Union as a responsible state,
• new opening in the relations of the whole West
  with Ukraine,
• We wish to extend the essential assistance to
  the new president and government of Ukraine, and
  to share our experiences in developing and
  consolidating democratic and pro-European
  transformation,

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The Statement at the session of the Sejm on
21st January 2005.

• For Poland, our membership in the European Union
  also offers an opportunity to build a new
  platform of bilateral relations with Russia,
• The state of affairs in Belarus with which we
  share a common border - causes understandable
  concern in Poland. We support the democratic and
  pro-European aspirations of Belarus society,
• Together with our European and Transatlantic
  partners, we are trying to co-shape the policy of
  the West in such a way so as to ensure full
  solidarity with the democratic and freedom
  tendencies in Belarus.

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Relations with Germany I

• a future-oriented formula of relations between
  our states a formula, that would finally put a
  closure to the burdens of the past and open
  qualitatively new prospects for the development
  of relations between Poland and Germany,
• with a dimension that is not only historic and
  determined by the past,
• to optimize our policy, we need to answer  the
  following  question 
• How do these relations impact the
  implementation of our that is  Polish and
  German broader aspirations, both in the context
  of the whole Europe.

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Relations with Germany II

• Close cooperation of Poland and Germany is
  particularly needed to dynamise the policies of
  Western and Euro-Atlantic institutions addressed
  to our neighbours in the East, that is Eastern
  Europe,
• We recognize the role of Germany in the European
  construction
• the negative stereotypes of Poland also in
  social perception - will be replaced with an
  image of a friendly and helpful neighbour.

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2. Polish German Affairs in debate of polish
political Parties.

• Platforma Obywatelska (PO) Citizens' Platfrom
• Donald Tusk
• Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc (PiS) Law and Justice
• Lech Kaczynski
• Liga Polskich Rodzin (LPR) Polish Family League
  
• Roman Giertych
• Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej (SLD) Democratic
  Left Alliance
• Wojciech Olejniczak

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3. Polish Eastern Policy after EU access I

• We are convinced that elimination of existing and
  potential divisions between the enlarged Union
  and its eastern neighbours is imperative for
  stability, security and prosperity at the Union's
  eastern borders,
• The European Union needs Eastern European
  partners to combat common threats like terrorism,
  organized crime, illegal transfers of small
  weapons, trafficking in drugs and human beings
  and proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction,
• Those threats and challenges are all of
  non-military and transnational nature and the
  only way to meet them is to develop practical,
  day-by-day cooperation across the borders.

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3. Polish Eastern Policy after EU access II

• Important issue! The crucial element of any
  successful co-operation is human factor,
• The best way to build mutual understanding and
  confidence is to stimulate and create conditions
  enhancing contacts between scholars and students,
  co-operation of regional and local authorities as
  well as of non-governmental organizations.

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4. Cooperation between Poland, Germany and France
on Weimar Triangle Forum
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Weimar Triangle I

• The Weimar Triangle was founded in 1991 by the
  Foreign Ministers of Poland, Germany and France
  Krzysztof Skubiszewski, Hans Dietrich Genscher
  and Roland Dumas,
• It was established as an instrument primarily
  designed to involve Poland in the mainstream of
  European politics and support its integration
  with Euro-Atlantic structures,
• The regular meetings of the three foreign
  ministers provided a forum for discussion on
  crucial international issues and presentation of
  the Polish stance on the key problems of Europe,
• Today, its permanent components include youth
  exchanges, inter-parliamentary contacts,
  regional, cultural and scientific collaboration,
  as well as animated contacts in the military
  sphere.

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Weimar Triangle II

• Despite the occasional differences in the
  evaluation of specific international developments
  (Iraqi conflict)  and the controversies over the
  European Constitution, France and Germany remain
  our most important partners in the European
  Union,
• That makes it imperative to conduct a debate with
  them on fundamental issues, such as the role of
  Europe in confronting the contemporary global
  threats and the shape of the future EU,
• That debate could provide a strong incentive for
  redefinition and revival of activity in the
  framework of the Weimar Triangle.

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Regional Triangle of Weimar - A Regional
Framework Operation

• The Land of North Rhine-Westphalia (D)The
  Conseil Régional of Nord-Pas de Calais (F)The
  Voivodeship of Silesia (PL)

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Regional Triangle of Weimar - A Regional
Framework Operation

• In the spirit of the Common Declaration for
  Co-operation in the Responsibility for the
  European Future, signed on 29th August 1991 in
  Weimar by the foreign ministers of Poland, France
  and Germany, at the occasion of the 10th
  anniversary of the Triangle of Weimar the three
  regions signed the regional Declaration of
  Co-operation of the European regions North
  Rhine-Westphalia, Nord-Pas de Calais and Silesia
  on 24th August 2001.
• It reflects the will of reconciliation of the
  three countries at a regional level and
  underlines the will to co-operate within the
  context of EU programmes.

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• Thank you for your attention!