At the Federal Foreign Office, Foreign Minister Maas and his Polish counterpart Jacek Czaputowicz discussed current European and global challenges. Their talks focused in particular on the future of NATO.

Close German-Polish relations

Foreign Minister Czaputowicz emphasised that German-Polish relations were “very good”. He said that this was the reason why he had decided to come to Berlin on his first trip abroad after his renewed appointment as Polish Foreign Minister. Foreign Minister Maas also stressed: “The public is still not sufficiently aware of how close our relations with Poland are today. Poland is Germany’s six biggest trading partner – ahead of the UK. There are 590 town twinning arrangements and the German-Polish Youth Office alone enables 120,000 young people to participate in an exchange every year.”

“We need Poland as a driving force in Europe”

Just a few days before the new European Commission takes up office, the two Foreign Ministers stressed their shared interest in a strong Europe: “We need Poland as a driving force in Europe in order to ensure that we can assert our values and interests in the world”, said Foreign Minister Maas. He added that Poland’s importance in the EU would increase in the years to come. Jacek Czaputowicz, too, said that Poland wanted a strong EU.

One single European voice in NATO

Following the proposal put forward by Foreign Minister Maas at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting that an expert committee chaired by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg be established, NATO’s future was another key issue discussed. Jacek Czaputowicz criticised President Macron’s remark that NATO was “brain dead”. The Polish Foreign Minster stated that Poland did not share that view. He added that NATO was able to adapt to new challenges. Foreign Minister Maas stressed: