Mateusz Morawiecki and his Lithuanian counterpart Ingrida Šimonytė discussed joint energy and infrastructure projects, security and the situation in Ukraine, according to officials.
At a joint news conference afterwards, Morawiecki invoked “the historic alliance between Poland and Lithuania” which “testified to the strength of Central and Eastern Europe for centuries,” public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
'The beast of Russian imperialism'
Morawiecki said that over the centuries, the two countries “shared the challenge of fighting to regain independence and root out Russian imperialism.”
The Polish prime minister said: “Today, the beast of Russian imperialism, whom both Lithuania and Poland know better than anyone in the world, is rearing its head again, and it is my belief that it won’t prevail just as long as the nations of Central and Eastern Europe are united.”
Morawiecki told reporters that ”Polish-Lithuanian relations are the best they’ve been in hundreds of years and the level of unity among Lithuania, Poland and other countries of Central Europe is enormous, beyond our wildest expectations.”
He thanked Šimonytė for cooperation in staving off a migrant crisis on Poland and Lithuania’s borders with Belarus.
The Polish prime minister said: “The hybrid attack by Russia’s ally Belarus on the Polish and Lithuanian borders in 2021 was the first step towards Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and against the entire free world.”
Morawiecki told reporters that his talks with Šimonytė also focused on “ways to strengthen defence policy in the face of a real military threat, including joint initiatives in the field of military exercises” as well as “the impact of Russian propaganda.”
He said that Poland and Lithuania “have an enormous role to play“ in countering Russian propaganda and that speaking in one voice with Lithuania “significantly strengthens Poland’s voice on the international stage.”
The Polish prime minister also said that “amid the revival of Russian imperialism and the challenges emanating from Asia,” Europe must “recall the source of its strength,” namely “freedom and diversity, as well as solidarity in the face of internal challenges, but also respect for tradition, for culture, which developed in different countries in different ways.”
Morawiecki declared: “Poland and Lithuania are showing that together we can build a Europe that stands in solidarity, a Europe that is strong, and also to warn about the risks and spend appropriate sums on defence policy and an independent energy system.”
According to the Polish prime minister, the war in Ukraine “is a moment of historic awakening.”
Morawiecki said: “We have experienced threats from various parts of the world, and we know perfectly well the value of freedom. History provides one lesson for Poland and Lithuania: either we are united or we’ll be put under gigantic pressure by our neighbours.”
'We discussed how to help Ukraine win the fight for freedom': Lithuanian PM
Meanwhile, Lithuania’s Šimonytė said: “The common history of Poland and Lithuania shows that security and prosperity are built on freedom.”
She added: “With Prime Minister Morawiecki we discussed how to help Ukraine win the fight for freedom – theirs and ours.”
The Lithuanian prime minister said the talks also focused on “the strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank, Polish-Lithuanian strategic partnership and goals for NATO’s summit in Vilnius in the summer."
Later in the day, the two prime ministers cut the ribbon on a new space at the House of Polish Culture in Vilnius.
Morawiecki told the gathering: “We are building a regional coalition of countries to prevent the resurrection of the Russian empire. With such a disparity of strength, it’s not easy, but even the biggest military superpower won’t replace the power of spirit and culture.”
The Polish prime minister was then hosted by Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda.
The two leaders discussed the security situation in the region and further support for Ukraine’s war effort against the Russian invasion, according to officials.
Other topics included cooperation on the international stage, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, as well as joint Polish-Lithuanian initiatives in business, energy and infrastructure, reporters were told.
"Security of Ukraine guarantees security of Poland'
Ahead of the meeting with Nausėda, Morawiecki was asked by reporters about Poland’s priorities for the NATO summit in Vilnius, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Morawiecki said: “The security of Ukraine guarantees the security of Poland and the world, that’s why alliances with other countries are so important.”
He added that "the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius will be very important in developing a shared approach to Ukraine, in giving Ukraine as far-reaching guarantees as possible regarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
He told reporters: “Prime Minister Šimonytė and I, as well as the presidents of Poland and Lithuania, are taking very intensive action on the international stage to achieve this.”
Morawiecki also said that “NATO’s new strategy in relation to the war in Ukraine is a necessary response to Russia’s actions.”
He added that the security of NATO’s eastern flank was being “significantly strengthened” through the stationing of the US Army V Corps’ Forward Command in the western Polish city of Poznań, the IAR news agency reported.
Tuesday is day 433 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, dziennik.pl