Interview with Polish foreign Minister Witold Wasikowski
— wPolityce.pl In may the head of an oil and gas company PGNiG said that the American gas will cost Poland is cheaper, and You are in an interview with Russian media said that he will be much more expensive. Why?
— Witold Waszczykowski (Witold Waszczykowski): not Yet known. I didn’t say that gas is expensive, I talked about the best for us the price proposal. I explained that we have a terminal for receiving liquefied natural gas, and we already checked how technically can look supplies from the United States. If we receive favorable offer, we will discuss it, that’s all. Where there is a phrase that the gas would be expensive?! The problem is that the “Kommersant” interview, RIA Novosti published a retelling of the conversation with me, which I’m not logged. With me have agreed to only interview, so I can’t comment on other texts: these are not my statements.
— Speaking about the presence of NATO troops in Poland, You pointed out that Warsaw considers the number of NATO forces on its territory is sufficient.
— For today this is enough. I clearly said that the decision about the presence of these forces was adopted at the last summit of the Alliance. It serves to prevent the occurrence of any hybrid conflict of this type that we have seen in the Crimea.
If the Russian side will follow the escalation, NATO is likely to take a new decision. To do this, we come to the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: we will assess the situation prior to the teachings of the “West”. At the same time in Warsaw, he will meet with Ministers from Turkey and Romania, there will be a meeting with representatives of the three largest countries of the Eastern flank of NATO. I repeat: to date, the decisions have enough. If there is an escalation of the situation, we will make a new one. How hard can it be? Those who do not want to understand, just maliciously distort my words.
— How the Russian media reacted to the fact that Poland opposes the project “Nord stream — 2”?
— Interview in “Kommersant” touched different topics: NATO, gas, monuments, cemeteries, and a possible meeting with Lavrov. Which of them was a key question is subjective. For me in these interviews is important to mention that we received congratulations on the occasion of the receipt of Poland’s status as non-permanent member of the UN security Council, and that in Moscow held consultations at the level of Deputy foreign Ministers.
I expressed the hope that in September in new York, I will be able to meet with Sergey Lavrov, and we can start meeting at the Ministerial level with the discussion of the topic of the UN, where we will work together in the next two years. Issues were raised different. I had to defend our right to protect the cemetery without protecting the monuments of the Soviet era dominance, who don’t want to see local governments.
— Meeting with Lavrov in September, in Your opinion, will be?
— There is a clear signal: I answered his letter on the proposal to hold consultations at the level of Deputy Ministers. The next logical step would be a meeting of the heads of departments. In interviews I have emphasized many times that the key to the normalization of Polish-Russian relations is in the hands of the Russians. Russia has to react on the topic of the Smolensk catastrophe and dialogue, which we do not avoid. My Vice, like last year, went to Moscow and held talks with the Russian side. Counter the desire to make contact we do not see. Now I’m waiting for an answer from the Russians.
