POLAND:Polish prime minister Donald Tusk yesterday vowed to rebuild Warsaw's strained relations with Berlin through "sensible decisions and not emotional baggage". Without mentioning his predecessor Jaroslaw Kaczynski by name, Poland's prime minister used his first state visit to Germany to underline a new tone in relations with chancellor Angela Merkel.
"We trust each other and assume we can bring German-Polish relations to a level as good as our personal relations," said a smiling Mr Tusk after two hours of talks with Dr Merkel. "There can be no taboo topics, but we wish that Germany and Poland can talk to each other as friends whose opinions can differ."
As yesterday's press conference made clear, they still have many divergent opinions. Poland is concerned at Berlin's plans to build a memorial in the capital for the 15 million Germans forcibly expelled from Polish territory after the second World War. The Berlin government says it is necessary to remember this dramatic, but largely unknown, chapter of German history.
Poland is concerned that such a memorial would present the suffering of German expellees in abstract, out of context of the second World War, and blur the line between perpetrator and victim.
Mr Tusk has proposed telling the German expellee story "in a conclusive and comprehensive context" of a new war museum in his home city of Danzig.
Dr Merkel said his idea was "interesting" but that Berlin would proceed with its memorial as planned. "This project does not have the intention of to relativise in any way the causes and effects of the second World War."
Mr Tusk was at pains to strike a conciliatory note on another crucial point of disagreement, the Gazprom-controlled NordStream pipeline being built between Russia and Germany.
Poland and its Baltic neighbours fear they could fall victim to Russian energy politics, as the new pipeline would allow Gazprom to reduce supply to central and eastern Europe without affecting delivery to customers further west.
Mr Tusk said yesterday that trilateral talks between Polish, German and Russian officials would take place next month to address Warsaw's concerns.
"I'm pleased that the chancellor recognises the Polish position that energy solidarity and security of supply is a part of European law and something that has to be taken very seriously."