2019-05-17 16:24 update: 2019-05-18, 12:23
Fot. PAP/ EPA/STEPHANIE LECOCQ
On the occasion of the 129th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, taking place in Helsinki, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, the first such meeting in five years.
The main topic of discussion was the return to Poland of the wreckage of the TU-154M presidential plane that crashed in Smoleńsk on April 10, 2010, with the loss of all 96 people on board. Minister Czaputowicz underscored that the wreckage's return is a key element in the investigation being conducted in Poland and the return of Poland's property had already been promised in December 2010 by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
"There is no logical explanation for which the wreckage of the Polish aeroplane, such an important symbol of Poles' awareness, should still be held on the territory of Russia," the Polish foreign minister asserted. "It is necessary to find a formula as quickly as possible that fulfills the expectations of the Polish side and the promises made by the Russian government."
The ministers agreed that it is important for the conclusions of both the Polish and Russian investigations for both sides to have access to the wreckage. Minister Lavrov assured his interlocutor of his readiness to cooperate within the framework of international legal aid.
The two ministers also discussed a whole range of aspects of bi-lateral politics including historical policy, cross-border cooperation and diplomatic real estate. Minister Lavrov raised the issue of memorials and monuments on Polish territory to Soviet soldiers taking part in the Second World War. The head of Polish diplomacy gave his assurance in this context that bilateral agreements between Poland and Russia are respected by Poland and that every effort is made to take care of the hundreds of burial sites of Soviet soldiers and war victims.
The two officials expressed conviction that a return to a more regular formula of meetings and the streamlining of communications at working level would result in more effective dialogue and resolution of problems. In the coming week, there will take place, after a two-year break, political consultations at the level of directors of the two countries' foreign ministries.
Czaputowicz and Lavrov also discussed international affairs. Minister Czaputowicz underscored the need to fully implement the Minsk Agreement and stressed the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity, expressed multiple time by the international community. He also renewed an invitation to Russia to take part in the work of the Warsaw Process working group and presented the programme of Poland's presidency of the UN Security Council in August of this year.
Segey Lavrov expressed interest in details of the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Convention. He also shared an opinion on the need to raise, on the forum of international organisations, the problems of persecuted religious minorities and the promotion of religious freedom. (PAP)
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