Poland wants to have good relations with Russia: PM

Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Thursday in Warsaw that Poland wants to have good relations with Russia and be treated by Russia like any other EU member state.

Kaczynski told reporters at a press conference that Poland will not put up with a situation when it is treated by Russia like a country that does not belong to the EU.

Relations with Russia are the top priority in the Polish foreign policy towards non-EU neighbor states, Kaczynski said. " They are very important but very difficult at present," the PAP news agency quoted Kaczynski as saying.

"We offer our good will but are also determined to defend our interests," the prime minister said.

Poland has no ill intentions towards Russia, he said, adding that it is willing to hold various talks with Moscow.

Relations between Poland and Russia have been deteriorating in recent years, due to disputes on the gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea, the U.S. missiles shield base, and the Katyn forest event.

In Nov. 2005, Russia imposed a ban on the imports of Polish meat, causing serious losses to Poland. In November last year, Poland vetoed the launch of talks on a broader economic cooperation agreement between the EU and Russia in protest against the Russian ban on imports.

Source:mail.google.com