Retiring German ambassador to Poland, Rolf Nikel, interviewed Deutsche Welle. He summarized his work at the facility in Poland.
Asked how he assessed his time in Poland, he replied:
Magnificent! My wife and I learned a lot about Poland, we found many friends, we spent holidays here at the seaside and in the mountains. Politically – an interesting and intense period in which a lot happened in Polish-German relations. Relations with Poland have been central to German politics. It was a time that gave me a lot of professional satisfaction.
He drew attention to the important historical context in Polish-German relations.
In our accounts, the importance of the historical dimension was again and again confirmed. I think that in Poland there is a broad understanding of the fact that, as Germany, we take responsibility for history, in particular for World War II, for German crimes against Poles. For me, the most important thing has always been that we build the present and future on the basis of historical truth
– he said.
„The issue of the rule of law concerns above all Poland’s relations with the EU. “
Speaking about the rule of law in Poland, he emphasized that it was primarily a matter of Poland’s relations with the EU.
The issue of the rule of law concerns above all Poland’s relations with the European Union. We in Germany are in favor of the dialogue between Poland and the Union on these issues, that it should be constructive and lead to solutions acceptable to all
– He said.
When asked what was the biggest challenge for him during his stay in Poland, he answered:
To prove again how good Polish-German relations are. They are much better than opinion about them. We must guard the treasure of Polish-German reconciliation.
as/dw.com
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