News Analysis: Russia-Poland Ties Uncertain

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, June 21, 2002

News Analysis: Russia-Poland Ties Uncertain

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Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov paid a visit to Poland on Thursday, the latest in a series of high-level bilateral exchanges so far this year, which have highlighted efforts by both sides to adapt their relations to the changing European political landscape.

The foreign minister brought with him new proposals to resolve the sensitive issue of Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania that has soured Poland-Russia relations.

Russia's fear for the enclave's split and eagerness for a solution have increased when Poland and Lithuania will soon becomemembers of the European Union (EU). During his one-day stay here, Ivanov proposed setting up a four-sided committee between the countries concerned and the EU, while urging the earliest possibletalks on a settlement acceptable to all.

In the new initiative, Moscow dropped its idea of building a special land traffic corridor linking Russia and its enclave, showing flexibility in response to the vehement opposition from both Poland and Lithuania. Still, Moscow is seeking a non-visa free passage.

Despite some outstanding problems between the two countries, bilateral ties have witnessed substantial progress since last January when Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a landmark two-day visit to Warsaw.

Putin's trip, the first of its kind by a Russian leader since 1993, turned a new leaf in bilateral relations. Since Poland brokeaway from the East European Communist bloc and wooed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in its foreign policies, relations between Warsaw and Moscow have been lukewarm, if not entirely worsened.

However, following the establishment of the NATO-Russia Councilin late May, Russia is said to "have entered the NATO with one foot." As a NATO member, Poland hailed the event, and reached an agreement with Russia on establishing a mature and friendly partnership earlier this month when Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski visited Moscow.

Talks between Kwasniewski and Putin have led to a bilateral strategic cooperation committee during Friday's visit of Ivanov, which is aimed at coordinating positions of the two countries on key security issues.

On Friday, the two sides also discussed the possibility of a substantive partnership between Russia and NATO, as well as bilateral cooperation in the military field.

However, a flurry of high-level bilateral contacts since the start of this year, including a Russian trip earlier in June by Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller, has failed yet to remove the long-standing blocks in bilateral ties, notably among them, the natural gas dispute.

Poland, which has imported 80 percent of its annual gas consumption from Russia since 1996, is seeking to reduce its heavydependence on Russia by negotiating gas imports with Norway and other countries.

Russia has rejected Warsaw's repeated requests for cutbacks in gas supply, which, on the basis of payment upon delivery, was agreed upon in a deal they signed in 1996.

The gas issue will remain a sore point on the Polish part in bilateral relations as long as Moscow refuses to compromise. It seems still a long way to go before the two countries establish true trust between them.

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