Antoni Brega, Chargé d’affaires Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Prague
The density of exchange between Czechia and Poland
- The Czech Republic invariably remains an important political and economic partner of Poland in the Central European region and in the EU. We share similar views, both on the European and international agenda. The high intensity of our political contacts is encouraging – at the end of April President Andrzej Duda visited Prague, while Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited Warsaw. At the beginning of June we held bilateral intergovernmental consultations in Prague, under the chairmanship of both our Prime Ministers.
- The successful resolution of one of the most complex issues in the Polish-Czech relations, that of the Turów Lignite Mine, has given us the opportunity to start a new chapter in our relations. This proves particularly important now, at the time of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, when solidarity within the EU and NATO is exceptionally valuable.
- Poland and the Czech Republic have a similar understanding of key security issues, as proved by the joint visit to Kiev on 15 March by the Prime Ministers of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki, the Czech Republic Petr Fiala and Slovenia Janez Janša, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczynski, and their meeting with Ukrainian President V. Zelenski.
- We appreciate the great commitment of the Czech side in assisting Ukraine, on all levels: political, military and humanitarian. Czechia has been regularly supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Poland, like the Czech Republic, categorically condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine and invariably supports it – materially, financially and technically.
- We must not forget that it is crucial to maintain sanctions pressure. We cannot leave Russia time to recover its forces and operational capabilities. We must act with determination and without hesitation.
- At the same time, Poland and the Czech Republic, are already thinking about the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. The international community must be ready when the time comes to rebuild Ukraine on a large scale. The Czech Republic and Poland were among the 40 countries that signed the Lugano Declaration, which commits the signatories to support Ukraine on its path from an early to a long-term exit from the war waged by Russia on its territory.
- We are pleased that the Czech Republic, like Poland, unequivocally supports Ukraine’s EU membership. We agree that granting Ukraine candidate status for the EU membership was of great political and symbolic importance. The road ahead will not be easy, but we believe that a new chapter in the EU-Ukraine relations will give it a new impetus. This is in the interest of the whole of Europe.
- We attribute great importance to the political and military partnership between Poland and the Czech Republic. We are reliable allies in NATO and an important partners in the EU. Our partnership and cooperation is based on a similar assessment of the security challenges in the region and on NATO’s Eastern flank, and on the recognition of transatlantic cooperation as the foundation for Europe’s security.
- In the current geopolitical situation, one of our common priorities is energy security. This includes both jointly building independence from Russian fuels (despite different levels of dependence of Poland and the Czech Republic) as well as building coalitions within the EU and sharing experience. We closely follow the engagement of our Czech partners in the energy security issues. We do understand that for our Czech partners, giving up oil imports from Russia is also a question of the country’s energy security. The Czechs need time to diversify their energy sources, including building the appropriate infrastructure.
- Strengthening regional cooperation in various formats is one of Poland’s priorities. Despite the achievements made by the countries of the Central European region after 1989, it should be noted that our region will still need internal solidarity, cohesion and the ability to properly represent its fundamental interests.
- One of the most important formats for regional cooperation is the Visegrad Group, which, in over 30 years of its existence, has become one of the most effective regional formats in Europe. From our perspective, the V4 is an effective and flexible platform for joint activities and initiatives. Its focus is mainly on the EU-related issues and policies. Our four countries share many similarities. This means that in the coming years the scope for further cooperation will continue to be broad.
- We look forward to a successful presidency of the Czech Republic in the EU Council in the second half of 2022. We declare our full support for Czech’s presidency priorities. It is important that the voice of our region is well heard in Brussels.
- The Czech presidency in the EU Council provides a unique opportunity to keep the attention of the EU countries on the areas of priority for our countries, including support for Ukraine, the internal market, security, the EU enlargement, the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership.
- We wish best of luck for the Czech Republic in leading the EU this semester and we will be more than happy to support our close neighbour, partner and ally in this demanding task.
Antoni Brega, Chargé d’affaires Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Prague
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