Kaczynski Denies Linking EU-Russia Talks with NATO

President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, said in Helsinki on April 10, that he did not say in his interview with Reuters that Poland’s decision on lifting its veto on European Union’s partnership talks with Russia would depend on agreement to put Georgia and Ukraine on a path to join MAP, Polish Press Agency (Polska Agencja Prasowa, PAP), reported.

“Yesterday [on April 9] a Reuters reporter tried to induce me to say that I put an equal sign between these two issues. But he did not hear any such reply from me,” he was quoted by PAP.

When asked by Reuters if Poland, which blocked EU-Russia talks in 2006 over trade dispute, would lift the veto to reassure Moscow and its next president, Dmitry Medvedev, Kaczynski responds as quoted by Reuters: “We certainly should talk, we certainly should build atmosphere in which mistrust is reduced. But whether the strategic (EU-Russia) talks can be unblocked in the near future is another matter. I would first like to know how the issue of MAP for Ukraine and Georgia is going to be resolved.”

The report was immediately followed by statements from the Georgian officials welcoming it as “very honorable”

“I think that this is an honorable response of the honorable state to that language in which Russia dares to speak with Europe,” Davit Bakradze, the Georgian foreign minister, told reporters on April 10.

“I want to thank the Polish President and all of our friends for helping us,” Nino Burjanadze, the Parliamentary Chairperson, said.