Scholz, Polish prime minister discuss migration, energy, EU
Germanys new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, stressed Sunday that Europe wont tolerate attempts at undermining the territorial integrity of its nations and said that diplomatic tools like the Normandy Format should be used to de-escalate tensions after Russia massed troops near Ukraines border. Scholz was speaking alongside Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw, where the two leaders held talks about migration, energy, European Union matters and fears of potential Russias aggression on Ukraine. Were watching the troop movements along the Ukrainian border with great concern, and we are making it very, very clear that the borders in Europe cannot be violated and that we consider the integrity of the borders of countries to be inviolable — and that no one should think that they could simply be violated without serious consequences, Scholz said.
France and Germany took the lead in brokering a 2015 peace deal between Ukraine and the Russia-backed rebels, in whats known as the Normandy Format. Referring to the intensifying rule-of-law dispute between Polands government and the European Commission, the EUs executive arm, Scholz stressed that the 27-nation bloc is united by the principles of democracy and said it would also be very good and helpful if the continuing discussions could soon lead to a very good, pragmatic solution, and the EU would therefore continue to be bound by these principles of democracy and the rule of law. The European Commission is withholding pandemic recovery funds from Poland saying the governments policies erode judicial independence there.
Regarding the divisive Nord Stream 2 pipeline that is to carry Russian gas directly to Germany, Morawiecki repeated Polands position that it exposes Europe and Ukraine to pressure from Moscow, and said it was best for it not to be opened. Scholz insisted the pipeline was a purely energy project whose role will be diminishing with the development of renewable energy sources in Germany. Germanys regulator has suspended the approval procedure for the completed pipeline because of legal issues. Scholz was greeted by Morawiecki, with military honours, in front of the Polish premiers office. It was one of Scholzs early visits after he was sworn in with his coalition Cabinet on Wednesday. They also discussed complex bilateral relations under Germanys new government. The good neighbourly ties are still overshadowed by World War II, especially under Polands current right-wing government, which is saying Germany owes Poland compensation for wartime damages. Agnieszka Lada-Konefal, the deputy director of the German Institute for Polish Affairs in Darmstadt, Germany, expects Scholzs government to continue dialogue and contact with Poland, which is an important member of the EUs eastern flank and Germanys fifth-largest trading partner. The visit comes 30 years after the two parliaments ratified a treaty on good neighbourly relations and friendly cooperation. On Friday, Scholz met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and later with EU and NATO officials in Brussels. Scholz, a 63-year-old centre-left politician, became Germanys ninth post-World War II chancellor, opening a new era for the EUs most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkels 16-year tenure. His government is made up of a coalition of his centre-left Social Democrats, the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats.
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