January 21, 2016•Update: January 21, 2016
BERLIN
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for a closer dialogue between Germany and its EU partner Poland, amid recent tensions between the two governments.
“German-Polish relations are so valuable that they should not be jeopardized for the sake of short-term political gains,” Steinmeier said at a joint press conference with his counterpart Witold Waszczykowski in the Polish capital Warsaw.
He acknowledged differences between the two governments on a number of issues, but said these should be addressed in close dialogue and exchanges between the two governments.
“We will meet as often as possible. Because talking to each other is better than talking about each other,” he said.
Relations between Germany and Poland have been strained since the right-populist Law and Justice Party (PiS) came to power in Poland in November.
PiS has passed several controversial laws that have significantly increased the government’s political influence over the country’s constitutional court and public media institutions.
German politicians have sharply criticized the move for being anti-democratic, while Poland summoned Germany’s ambassador and protested these remarks.
Steinmeier stressed during his Warsaw visit that both countries should enhance dialogue to discuss their differences, rather than jeopardizing bilateral relations.
“We are simultaneously dealing with as many as three crises that we need to overcome: the financial and economic crisis, the current difficult debate with Great Britain, and of course the migrant crisis, or movement, which affects us in Europe, and especially in Germany,” Steinmeier said.
“I believe we should find a solution in the spirit of European solidarity,” he stressed.
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski played down recent tensions with Berlin.
“Minister Steinmeier’s visit to Poland is yet another proof that Polish-German relations are good and based on very solid foundations,” he said after the meeting.
“We have a shared view on the threats facing NATO and our region. We also agree on how to counter these threats,” he also said.
