VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Diplomatic relations between Russia and Poland were established in 1921. On May 22, 1992, the two countries signed the Treaty of Friendly and Neighbourly Cooperation.
The legal basis for the relations between Russia and Poland is secured by numerous documents signed by the USSR and the People's Republic of Poland as well as over 40 inter-state and intergovernmental treaties and agreements signed over the past 15 years.
Through 2000-2005, the two countries maintained active political ties, with ten meetings held by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. Regular contacts were maintained by the two countries' Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers and Parliaments.
The Committee for Russian-Polish Cooperation Strategy worked on a permanent basis; regular meetings were held by Public Forum "Russia-Poland."
Starting with 2005, the number and level of contacts decreased considerably as the Polish Government's policy towards Russia became more confrontational, which resulted in a more hostile public and political attitude to Russia. Poland began using historic claims as an instrument of pressure in current politics, agreed to deploy elements of U.S. missile defence in its territory, opposed the Nord Stream gas pipeline project, severely criticized Russia's relations with its CIS partners and blocked for a long time negotiations on a new partnership agreement between the EU and Russia.
After Donald Tusk's election as Prime Minister in November 2007, the Polish Government declared intentions to return its relations with Russia back to normal by maintaining a dialogue and seeking solutions to accumulated bilateral problems. Russia and Poland managed to find acceptable solutions to issues of agricultural products delivery. On February 8, 2008 Tusk paid a visit to Russia and met with President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and First Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
The visit was a significant event in efforts to step up the political dialogue between the two countries. An agreement was reached on re-establishing bilateral collaborative bodies: a Committee on Russian-Polish Cooperation Strategy chaired by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, a Russian-Polish Public Forum headed by the Vice President of Onexim Group Leonid Drachevsky and Polish film director Krzysztof Zanussi (the Forum's first meeting after a four-year intermission was held on September 10-11, 2008 in Warsaw), a Polish-Russian Group For Difficult Issues in Bilateral Relations co-chaired by Anatoly Torkunov, rector of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), and former Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld (the group's first meeting was held on June 12-14, 2008 in Warsaw and then on October 27-28, 2008 in Moscow).
Sergei Mironov, chairman of the Federation Council, upper chamber of the Russian parliament, paid an official visit to Poland in June 2008.
In August 2008, following the Georgian-South Ossetian armed conflict, Poland took a tough pro-Georgian position. Nevertheless, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's cabinet did not support the slashing anti-Russian statements made by President Lech Kaczyński.
Poland continues to be one of Russia's key trading partners, accounting for 3.2% of Russia's foreign trade (9th largest trading partner and the leading partner in Eastern Europe). Russia's share in Polish foreign trade is 7.2%, which makes it the second largest trading partner after Germany.
In the past few years, trade turnover between Russia and Poland has seen considerable growth, increasing threefold from 2002-2006 reaching $14.9 billion. In 2007, the trade turnover increased by 20.4% reaching $17.9 billion, including a Russian exports increase of 15.8% ($13.3 billion) and an imports growth of 35.8% ($4.6 billion). In the first nine months of 2008, trade between the two countries increased by 78.8% to reach $21.9 billion.
Russia's exports to Poland are primarily oil and gas (87% of Russia's exports to Poland), machinery (28.6%), chemical products (23.7%), agricultural and food products (14.2%), pulp and paper products (11.1%), metallurgical products (7.9%) and furniture (3.4%).
Russia's investments in Poland amount to $1.85 billion, with key investors including gas giant Gazprom developing the Yamal-Europe transit gas pipeline and oil giant LUKoil investing in raw hydrocarbon development. Among companies with 100% Russian capital operating in Poland are film wrapper producer Leda and confectionery manufacturer Snezhka.
Poland's investments in Russia's economy amount to approximately $300 million. The largest investment project is a chipboard manufacturing plant in Veliky Novgorod constructed by Polish company ZPW Grajewo, with a total investment of $130.1 million). Among other current investments are construction materials producer Atlas-Rus in Dubna, home and office furniture manufacturer Forte in Vladimir, feminine hygiene products producer Bella-Yegoryevsk in Yegoryevsk and insulin producer Bioton in Oryol. Polish company Energia has began construction of three natural gas liquefying complexes in western Russia, specifically in Pskov, Smolensk and Kingisepp.
The key mechanism for regulating trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Poland is the Polish-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation. Because of the chill in bilateral relations, only one meeting of the commission has been held so far (March 31, 2006 in Moscow). Along with the commission, working on a permanent basis are the Polish-Russian Standing Committee for Transport, the Russian-Polish Council for Cooperation between Polish voivodeships and Russia's Kaliningrad region and St Petersburg, as well as the Polish-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
As for regional cooperation, 9 out of 16 voivodeships in Poland have agreements with Russian regions for developing interregional cooperation.
Russian-Polish ties in culture, science and social projects are noted for stable development, with a strong Russian cultural presence in Poland as well as Polish cultural presence in Russia.
