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Poland And Germany Together For Georgia

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  • Poland And Germany Together For Georgia

    POLAND AND GERMANY TOGETHER FOR GEORGIA
    by Bartosz T. Wielinski and Jacek Pawlicki

    Gazeta Wyborcza website
    Sept 1 2008
    Warsaw, Poland

    [Prime Minister Donald] Tusk and Chancellor [Angela] Merkel have
    reached a deal: the EU is to build its footholds in the Caucasus. "It's
    the best possible response to Russia's doings in the region,"
    diplomats say.

    The best reaction to Russia's doings in the region will be the EU's
    strong entrance to the former Soviet republics considered by Russia
    its exclusive zone of influence. Nothing will hurt Russia more than
    being squeezed out from that field, diplomats say.

    "Poland and Germany have drawn conclusions from the strife over the
    war in Iraq. Those divisions must not repeat themselves," a German
    diplomat says.

    During the last couple of days Mr Tusk and Ms Merkel talked on
    the phone several times. "Ms Merkel suggested to activate Eastern
    Partnership, the Polish-proposed eastern policy strategy adopted
    by the EU in June. According to the Germans, it perfectly fits the
    situation," a Polish diplomat says.

    Within the Eastern Partnership framework, the EU is to support the
    modernisation and democratisation of Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan,
    Armenia, Georgia, and conditionally, Belarus. Today the programme
    could be use to aid Georgia's reconstruction effort.

    These arrangements mean, Gazeta's sources believe, that Germany has
    changed its view on the war in Georgia - until now it seemed that,
    like Paris, Berlin would confine itself to condemning the presence
    of Russian troops in Georgia and categorically opposing Moscow's
    recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

    Poland also wants for Ukraine to be granted special political
    guarantees on its future NATO membership, as well as military
    ones. Tusk spoke about that with his Ukrainian counterpart Yuliya
    Tymoshenko Saturday [30 August].

    Poland is also to propose at the EU's upcoming summit in Brussels
    for the EU to tighten its cooperation with Azerbaijan - the major oil
    producer can be the next target of Russia's policy of consolidating
    its zone of influence.

    "The idea is to use Eastern Partnership to pull Azerbaijan out of
    the Russian zone," a member of the Polish delegation told Gazeta.

    "This is a breakthrough. The Germans have admitted for the first
    time that we are better versed in what's going on beyond the EU's
    eastern border. Earlier the talk was chiefly of Warsaw's anti-Russian
    phobias," Polish diplomats say. "Something has happened that we long
    postulated. The two countries will permanently anchor Europe in the
    east," German officials add.

    "Since the outbreak of the war we've been in constant touch,
    exchanging information, calling the European capitals," a Polish
    diplomat says. Warsaw intervened when, following the Russian invasion
    of Georgia, German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler said he
    understood the Russians and blamed the Georgians. Berlin eventually
    backtracked from those words.

    Most recently, Chancellor Merkel asked Donald Tusk to call Italian
    Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to help change Rome's pro-Russian
    stance.

    The EU leaders are unlikely to raise sanctions against Russia at the
    Brussels summit. Poland will certainly not call for them. Mr Tusk
    says in his interview for Newsweek, published today, "We don't want
    a situation where Poland has the worst relations with Russia of all
    the EU member states."

    Instead, Tusk will urge the EU to build a common energy policy and
    diversify its energy supplies so that no more than 30 per cent of
    the given commodity is supplied by a single country. Today the EU's
    dependence on Russian oil and gas is heavier than that.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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