“I would like to wish the Foundation all the best and at the same time I would like to encourage it to keep pursuing its ambitions. It is not only an occasion to celebrate, but also to set new challenges – to invigorate the Weimar Triangle, to support the EU’s enlargement policy together, to stress the importance of the truth about the history of World War II, and to build trust in Europe based on partnership between states,” said the Polish deputy foreign minister in his speech on the occasion of the institution’s jubilee. 

The Genshagen Foundation, established by the German Federal Government’s Plenipotentiary for Culture and the Media and by the Land Brandenburg, is aimed at enhancing Europe’s cultural diversity, strengthening its capacity to take political actions, and supporting its social cohesion and economic growth. It focuses on German-French and German-Polish relations and the Weimar Triangle. In his speech Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk emphasized that the history of the Genshagen Foundation reflects the development of the European idea, which “first linked the two most important states of Western Europe and then broadened its scope to include another important player, Poland.” “We remain open to cooperation in the Weimar Triangle, also at a high political level. I would also like to stress that Poland, France and Germany express not only their own interests and views, but they represent the interests and views of more countries,” said the deputy MFA head.  

In Berlin, Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk also met with Dietmar Woidke, the Minister-President of Brandenburg. They discussed Polish-German political relations, elections in Brandenburg, and regional cooperation. The Polish deputy minister welcomed the fact that Brandenburg’s government is open to Poland’s expectations as regards the implementation of the provisions of the Polish-German Treaty on Good Neighbourhood and Friendly Cooperation that concern the rights of the Polish community in Germany. “We welcome the intense Polish-German political dialogue. Last year was full of very intense contacts at all levels,” said Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk. He mentioned the Polish-German intergovernmental consultations, which culminated in the declaration adopted by the foreign ministers, expressing their will to develop strategic partnership between both states.

The Polish deputy foreign policy chief also met with Hans-Peter Friedrich, the Vice-President of the Bundestag, and Norbert Röttgen, the Chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee. They talked about the 80^th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. They also discussed cooperation in the Weimar Triangle, political situation in the European Union after elections to the European Parliament, and the recent developments affecting the Eastern policy, including the situation in Ukraine. The deputy minister stressed the need for the Bundestag to speed up its work on the decision to build a memorial to the Polish victims of World War II in Berlin.

 

MFA Press Office