During his visit to Georgia, Polish President Andrzej Duda called Russia “an abnormal aggressor country” and also called for “to force Moscow to comply with the norms of international law”.
Fot. Maciek Jazwiecki / Agencja Gazeta
At the same time, Polish experts considered such statements by Duda to be contrary to the strategic interests of Warsaw. Why, then, did the Polish leader decide on rhetoric hostile to Russia?
The day before, Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Tbilisi on a two-day visit. His arrival is timed to the celebration of the Independence Day of the republic. At the same time, being the only foreign president at the celebrations in Georgia, the Polish leader did not miss the opportunity to speak out on the topic of relations with Moscow.
“Russia’s actions are aggressive, imperial, which rob people of their normal lives, lead to the destruction of states, to martial law, and to the death of people. These are actions that the international community cannot take. Russia is not a normal country. This is not a state that behaves normally. This is an aggressor country”, – Duda said.
According to him, Russia’s actions require “decisive action on the part of the international community.” Duda recalled that in 2022 Poland will chair the OSCE and promised to raise the “Russian issue” at the UN General Assembly, as well as at the UN Human Rights Council.
Moreover, Duda called for “to force Russia to comply with the norms of international law” and demanded that Moscow withdraw its military from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where they were stationed after the 2008 Georgian aggression. For her part, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called her country “Andrzej Duda’s second homeland” and thanked Poland as a “reliable friend and partner” in terms of Georgia’s integration into the European Union and NATO.
“It’s no secret that the current Polish government is anti-Russian and anti-Russian. I hope that our leadership will have enough self-control to simply ignore it”, – TV presenter Vladimir Pozner said in an interview with the VZGLYAD newspaper.
“Although this is definitely a rude statement. In Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, such statements are often heard. It speaks about the level of the leadership of these countries”, – the interlocutor emphasized.
“I don’t think Russia should pay attention to this,” says Posner. – To react every time to such kind of statements, in my opinion, is beneath one’s own dignity. There is no need to give the authors of such words a feeling of satisfaction: “aha, they reacted – it means that we touched them.” Let them talk”.
“Unfortunately, Duda’s statement about Russia is quite typical for the current political elites in Poland. Moreover, most likely Duda used his visit to Georgia to make such statements. But from the point of view of the strategic interests of Poland, this trip is absolutely meaningless”, – Mateusz Piskorski, a former member of the Polish parliament, director of the European Center for Geopolitical Analysis, told the VZGLYAD newspaper.
According to him, Duda very often makes anti-Russian statements in Poland, “but they are not always paid attention to”.
“It is obvious that by attacking Russia precisely in Georgia, he managed to attract the attention of international public opinion”, – the expert believes. Piskorski also noted that with such actions, Duda probably decided to follow the example of the late President Lech Kaczynski, who was also known for anti-Russian speeches. “Moreover, in 2008, Kaczynski tried to intervene in Georgia’s conflict with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, contrary to the consolidated position of the European Union”, – the political scientist added.
At the same time, the interlocutor pointed out the peculiarities of the constitutional system of Poland.
“The institution of the presidency in Poland is not significant enough to pay attention to Duda’s words”, – Piskorski said.
“Moreover, his statements contradict not only diplomatic practice, but also the political culture of our country as a whole.”
At the same time, the political scientist believes that there is no enmity at the level of the mentality of the peoples between Russia and Poland.
“At the mental level, there are no obstacles for cooperation, given the mutual understanding of the two peoples at the level of culture, literature and interpersonal communication. The only obstacle is the provocative policy of the Polish elites who follow certain instructions from outside”, – the expert said.
According to Piskorsky, it is the politicians who prevent the establishment of any form of constructive dialogue with Moscow. He also recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly proposed ways to resolve differences between the countries, calling on the Polish elite to “grow up”, but Warsaw is blocking such attempts.
“We can only hope for the normalization of Russian-American relations after the summit of Putin and Biden. Then Poland, as one of the most loyal countries to the United States in Central Europe, will certainly change its attitude towards Russia”, – the expert said.
In turn, the historian Vladimir Kornilov recalled that not so long ago Andrzej Duda declared about the Poles as a braver people than the Russians, so another statement by the Polish president is a confirmation of the atmosphere of hysterical Russophobia that reigns in Poland and the Baltic states.
“Also, Polish politicians like to manipulate historical facts. We are often accused of the three sections of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the loss of Poland’s statehood. But after all, not only Russia took part in the partitions of Poland. This event is called so because the territory of Poland was divided among themselves by several great states. But Duda says nothing about its western neighbors”, – the expert explained.
“In addition, local politicians avoid the topic of the centuries-old struggle between Poland and Russia, although here it is enough to recall the repeated incursions of the Poles into our territories and the seizure of Russian cities, not to mention the attempts to plant an impostor on the Russian throne. This led to an uprising against Polish aggression at the beginning of the 17th century. The Poles also took an active part in Napoleon’s campaign against Moscow. But there are more recent examples – the same campaign of the Poles against Kiev in 1920 during the Soviet-Polish war of 1919-1921. They are still proud of it. Duda even solemnly celebrated the centenary of this campaign”, – the expert noted.
And how many people were shot and killed in Polish concentration camps? Russians were thrown there indiscriminately – both white and red, and those who went into the service of Petliura, – added Kornilov. – Thousands of people died. And no one answered for that.
“In today’s Poland, one can still hear phantom pains over the lost empire, which they dream of reviving in one form or another. They do not hide this, organizing various kinds of “Lublin Projects” with the participation of Ukraine and Lithuania. Therefore, the doctrine of modern Poland is precisely in nostalgia for the lost empire, and hence – fierce hatred for those who destroyed it. Russophobia and anti-Russian sentiments are embedded in the very ideology of the Polish government”, – he explained.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin reacted with regret to Duda’s statement.
“We treat such rhetoric very badly, we do not like it, we do not accept it,” said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President. He stressed that Russia is a friendly, strong, self-confident and absolutely independent country. “And possessing these qualities, Russia is looking for a friendly attitude of mutually beneficial cooperation with all its neighbors, including Poland”, – the Kremlin spokesman concluded.
Natalia Makarova, Elena Leksina, VZGLYAD