“POLAND WANTS TO STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN, KAZAKHSTAN” -
Pawel Kowal, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
«We are striving to diversify energy supplies and gain their stable sources. For that reason we wish to collaborate with Norway, Denmark and Sweden on the construction of a gas pipeline, and to ensure secure supplies of liquefied gas for the maritime terminal planned to be constructed at Swinoujscie. Cooperation with states of the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, and countries of Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, has a prominent place in our efforts to broaden the group of energy suppliers», – said Pawel Kowal, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, in his exclusive interview with Caspian Energy.
Caspian Energy (CE): Mr. Kowal, what are the main principles of the Poland’s foreign policy and how did they alter following the Poland’s acceding the EU? What is the Poland’s long-range development strategy?
Pawel Kowal, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland: Answering to the first part of your question, I would like to stress, that the primordial priorities and goals of the Polish foreign policy remain unchanged. Poland is firmly anchored in the European Union and NATO. We are involved into a strategic partnership with the United States. Thanks to our accession to the European Union we are the part of a dynamic and powerful community. That Community exerts its influence on us, but we co-shape it at the same time, true to our values and political objectives. The position we are building in Europe manifests itself in three dimensions: first – we are an active member of the European Union, second – we develop bilateral relations with the respective states of the continent, and third - we participate in regional networks of cooperation. In all those dimensions, not only will Poland defend its own interests, but we shall strive to protect fundamental values, particularly the idea of solidarity and respect for human dignity.
Ensuring the security of our state is of fundamental importance to us. Our country remains an active and solidary member of the North Atlantic Alliance. We steadfastly promote the view that NATO should remain an effective instrument of collective defense, while being fully capable of addressing new threats. We opt for continuation of American engagement in Europe, as a guarantee of security and politico-military stability on the continent. Speaking about security I would like to underline that one of the greatest challenges facing Polish foreign policy is assurance of the country’s energy security. We oppose any initiatives that would threaten Poland’s energy security. We are striving to diversify energy supplies and gain their stable sources. For that reason we wish to collaborate with Norway, Denmark and Sweden on the construction of a gas pipeline, and to ensure secure supplies of liquefied gas for the maritime terminal planned to be constructed at Swinoujscie. Cooperation with states of the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, and countries of Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, has a prominent place in our efforts to broaden the group of energy suppliers.
As far as the second part of your question is concerned, Poland’s long-range development strategy is inextricably linked with our European Union membership. Thanks to our membership in the EU we have gained ample new political and economic opportunities, which we make use of to reduce the gap separating us from the most advanced countries of the world. The Polish economy has been developing at its fastest rate for almost a decade. Last year the economy grew by more than 6 per cent, Poland’s international credibility increased, and we attracted a record 15 billion US dollars in foreign investments.
CE: How would you evaluate the cooperation between Poland and Azerbaijan? Which branches of economy could be the basic interface points?
Pawel Kowal: I assess the current state of Polish-Azerbaijani relations as highly satisfactory, regarding the frequency and level of bilateral contacts. We are bent on maintaining this high intensity in the future. We are still looking for new instruments of strengthening our relations, also through multilateral actions – one of them is the sector cooperation of Poland with GUAM – as declared during the visit of President Lech Kaczynski at the GUAM Summit in Baku on June 18-19, 2007. In our view, energy, transport and tourism could constitute the key areas of cooperation of this kind. Some other fields – like internal affairs, training of diplomatic staff, culture – are also on the agenda, as was outlined in the Memorandum on cooperation in the field of European integration between the Polish and Azerbaijani MFA’s.
CE: How would you evaluate the outcomes of the Krakow Summit? Is your Ministry implementing the projects agreed on by six countries during that event?
Pawel Kowal: In our view the outcomes of the Krakow Summit meet our expectations. The meeting participants agreed to intensify cooperation by initiating work on an intergovernmental agreement regulating the participation of states and companies in the project to use a corridor for the transportation of Caspian oil to European and world markets (Odessa-Brody-Plock-Gdansk pipeline). The delegations agreed to create an intergovernmental working group on energy issues on the level of respective ministers. What is important is that the Krakow meeting was not a one-off initiative. The dialog initiated will be continued in October this year during a meeting in Vilnius, where major energy players from East and West will be invited. The main responsibility for successful implementation of common energy projects will be held by a company created by respective stakeholders of each country. Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will help implementing the project in the framework of its competences.
CE: What shall be the principles laid as a basis of the intergovernmental agreement to govern the participation of states and companies in the project of the Caspian oil transportation corridor running to European and global markets?
Pawel Kowal: For a long time extension of Odessa Brody pipeline to Plock was delayed because there was no guarantee of sufficient oil supplies that could be transported by that pipeline. Therefore our intention is that this agreement guarantees constant and safe flow of Caspian oil. We also bear in mind the fact that today Odessa Brody pipeline transports Russian oil to Odessa. Hence it is imperative that the flow of crude oil is reversed.
CE: You said once in your speech that the world today is quite challenging and it is the task of the Polish Government and Parliament to ensure Poland’s security. What are the energy security-related objectives of Poland today?
Pawel Kowal: Concerning the resources like oil and gas, Poland is today too much dependant on one supplier. Therefore we pursue the goal of diversifying energy sources and routes of transportation. Concerning oil, Poland is planning to participate in building Odessa Brody Plock Gdansk pipeline. As for gas, we plan to build an LNG terminal on the Baltic Sea coast, and construct a pipeline that would directly link the resources in Norway to Poland. We also encourage Polish oil and gas companies to acquire their own oil and gas fields abroad.
CE: How would you evaluate the energy and economic cooperation with the countries of the Caspian region?
Pawel Kowal: We are decided to continue our policy of promoting cooperation in energy sector with the countries of the Caspian region. In this regard, we would like to further strengthen our relations with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and seek new opportunities in Turkmenistan. We are convinced – looking at was has already been done - that the initiatives stemming out from the Krakow energy summit will bear fruit within the next three or four years. We are also looking for ways of enhancing the economic cooperation with the Caspian region in other sectors of economy. In this respect, we are open for new proposals from our Caspian partners.
CE: What is the Poland’s opinion on the EU enlargement? What principles does the country stand by in this respect?
Pawel Kowal: In our view, the European perspective should be open to all the European countries able to fulfill the membership criteria. Those provisions are contained in the article 49 of the Treaty of the European Union which is still valid and cannot be neglected. The EU should tend to offer better perspectives for the neighbouring countries. It should be ready to widen the area of security and prosperity in Europe. Enlargement strategy has always constituted an important instrument of assistance for the neighbouring countries on their way to democracy. That is why the Union should be consistent in its implementation.
Poland supports the assumption that enlargement strategy should be based on the principles of: cohesion, conditionality and communication in relation with the ability of the Union to integrate new members. At the same time Poland is against the concept of alternative forms of integration, such as “privileged partnership” or “multilateral close co-operation”, especially if it could have a negative impact on the prospect of membership.
CE: How does Poland solve its energy security-related problems? Is it possible to explore and develop energy resources in the country? What shall be the part of the Caspian energy resources in this respect?
Pawel Kowal: Poland has relatively big gas resources. Today our own sources account for around 30% of consumption and we hope it will be feasible to keep that proportion in the future. Our companies will also look for new gas fields in Poland. As for oil, the prospects are not as good as with gas as our county doesn’t have significant oil reserves. Therefore it is vital for our country to achieve access to sources and transport routes for energy from Caspian region to Poland. Poland is vitally interested in developing energy security projects under the umbrella of EU energy policy. We acknowledge that energy subject is critical to UE external relations, and as such it should be included in all the future cooperation schemes to be signed.
Thank you for the interview.