A German MP heading the Bundestag’s Polish-German parliamentary group has said Poland feels it is not sufficiently listened to by Berlin and that defense is a key area of concern.
Paul Ziemiak of the Christian Democratic Union party told the web.de news site on the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II that Poland is now not worried by a strong Germany but by a weak one.
Ziemiak emphasized the need for Berlin to strengthen bilateral relations with Warsaw as much remains to be done.
“Germany has made mistakes in the past,” he said, citing the example of deciding on greater support for Ukraine only “under pressure from neighboring countries.”
He said another area of concern is migration as Berlin does not understand countries that do not want excessive inflows of people and should not try to “teach Poles about European values.”
He said a new era in Polish-German relations had started with the advent of the current Donald Tusk-led government last year, but that Berlin now had to prove itself and start treating its eastern neighbor as an equal.
“[In Poland] there prevails a sense that it is not perceived for what it is in reality: a strong, important country in the heart of Europe which can decisively contribute to a better understanding of Eastern Europe,” Ziemiak said.
Ziemiak emphasized the need for Berlin to strengthen bilateral relations with Warsaw as much remains to be done.
“Germany has made mistakes in the past,” he said, citing the example of deciding on greater support for Ukraine only “under pressure from neighboring countries.”
He said another area of concern is migration as Berlin does not understand countries that do not want excessive inflows of people and should not try to “teach Poles about European values.”
He said a new era in Polish-German relations had started with the advent of the current Donald Tusk-led government last year, but that Berlin now had to prove itself and start treating its eastern neighbor as an equal.
“[In Poland] there prevails a sense that it is not perceived for what it is in reality: a strong, important country in the heart of Europe which can decisively contribute to a better understanding of Eastern Europe,” Ziemiak said.
