Čaputová in Poland: Relations with Russia not improving

The president said unity is needed in NATO.

President Zuzana Čaputová visited Poland, the last country on her Visegrad tour.

Čaputová and Polish President Andrzej Duda agreed that the unity of NATO is needed because current relationships with Russia are not improving. Čaputová also expressed regrets because she is convinced that “we need a constructive relationship with Russia,” the TASR newswire reported.

Unity is key

Both presidents agreed that “NATO is a basic pillar of our defence and safety… and the unity between allies is the key precondition to its good functioning.”

“But for that, we need mutual respect and respect of rules. I don’t see it on Russia’s side, unfortunately,” she said, as quoted by TASR.

She thanked Duda for supporting Ukraine and its Euro-Atlantic direction.

“Ukraine is our common and biggest neighbour,” she said, as quoted by TASR. “Its security and stability are our common priority.”

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Čaputová added that Poland is a very important partner for Slovakia in terms of commerce, mutual investments or within cooperation in important fields like security and energy. She thinks that more could be done, in the field of transport infrastructure, for example.

Shared values and history

Relations between Warsaw and Bratislava are not only about economics but shared history and values.

“We are commemorating the 30th anniversary of democratic changes in Europe,” Čaputová said, as quoted by TASR. “I know that during the Communist regime the cooperation between Polish and Czechoslovak dissidents was very important.”

Along with pushing regional interest, she considers the group of V4 states as important, due to their “ability to offer Europe-wide solutions and search for allies for them across Europe.”

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This is how partner countries can fulfil the original aim of the V4 and contribute to the unifying of Europe.

After meeting with President Duda, Čaputová met with PM Mateusz Morawiecki. This is the last of the visits in the V4 countries.

15. Jul 2019 at 22:10 | TASR, Compiled by Spectator staff