What goes in Poland on 25th of May.
Two major topics at NATO summit
Financing the arms and defense efforts of the NATO countries and the war on terror will be dominating the NATO summit, said Minister of Defense, Antoni Macierewicz. In his opinion, the Manchester bombing will have a bearing on the summit. When asked whether the terror attack in Manchester will be an important discussion topic at the NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Macierewicz said „It is hard to imagine that it won’t become an important point. I am sure there will be conversations about it, and I am sure it will affect this very important summit. We need to remember that the summit, the first one since the last meeting in Warsaw, will be a gathering of heads of state, ministers of defense and foreign affairs, who will decide about the implementation of the Warsaw summit’s decisions and about the direction in which these issues will be going.”
He also added, that the other topic that will dominate the talks will be war on terror. „In the face of such a hecatomb that took place in Manchester, there is no doubt that this will bear upon the shape and course of the talks,” Macierewicz stressed. He also stated that today the most important issue for Poland is the protection provided by the American troops stationing in Poland.
Polish government not planning to adopt common currency
„The government is not planning to join the Euro zone,” ensured Prime Minister Beata Szydło’s spokesman.
Rafał Bochenek commented on the press reports according to which, the European Commission expected that by 2025 all EU states would adopt the common currency.
In an interview for the first channel of the Polish Radio, he pointed to the fact that this was not EC’s official position. He also stressed that the Polish government did not change its mind on the issue.
„At this moment, there is no point in joining the club of states that belong to the Euro zone, a zone that is mired in a number of crises,” Bochenek said.
He added that despite not being a Euro zone member, Poland’s economic growth is one of the highest in the European Union.
Rafał Bochenek summed up that lately European institutions have been trying to force member states to act in a certain way.
Polish Foreign Ministry: Polish and French foreign ministers discussed the future of Polish-French relations
Witold Waszczykowski and Jean-Yves Le Drian, heads of the Polish and French diplomacy, talked on the phone about the future of the countries’ relations in face of the challenges standing before Europe. The Polish minister stated that Poland was ready for „a new opening” in bilateral relations. The ministers will meet at the NATO summit in Brussels today. The statement published by the Ministry mentioned that this has been the first conversation between the ministers since Le Drian took office as Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
„After congratulating Jean-Yves Le Drian and wishing him a fruitful and successful mission, Minister Waszczykowski referred to the long tradition of partnership between our countries,” said the press release.
Waszczykowski „indicated that Poland is ready for a “new opening” in bilateral relations, and will be keen to undertake joint initiatives and projects, including in the EU and NATO frameworks”. The Polish minister also pointed that a „constructive dialogue between Poland and France is indispensable if solutions are to be found to the crises the European Union is confronted with. He also highlighted the special role the Weimar Triangle format has played in building a secure Europe that is close to its citizens.”
The ministers also agreed to meet in Paris at the beginning of June and minister Waszczykowski invited his French counterpart to Poland.
Singapore’s president official visit to Poland ends
After his meeting with Singapore’s president Tony Tan Keng Yam, Andrzej Duda talked about developing economic cooperation and „opening up the horizons of Polish economic cooperation to other parts of the world.”
In his press statement, president Duda stated that Singapore was one of Poland’s biggest trade partners in Asia. He also observed that up till now, 80% of our trade has been conducted in the EU. In his opinion, Polish companies were ready to develop on a wider scale. Duda explained that Singapore was a promising partner for Poland, especially, regarding modern technologies and energy. The president also talked about opening Singapore’s honorary consulate in Poland.