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Poland won't react to Russian TV "taunts," prime minister says
Aug 25, 2009, 15:35 GMT
Warsaw - Poland shouldn't comment on the 'unwise and unjust' statements by Russian media about Poland's role in World War II, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday.
Tusk's statement came after Vesti, a Russian state television station, showed a documentary alleging that the 1934 non-aggression pact between Poland and Nazi Germany contained a plan to invade the Soviet Union and Japan.
'It would be bad if in Poland the prime minister and ministers reacted to these types of taunts,' Tusk said Tuesday, a week ahead of a visit by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. 'If there will be a stance or opinion from the Russian government that's not in agreement with the truth, or with our impressions, the government will certainly react.'
Tusk added that - thanks to efforts by the Polish government - it's 'very likely' that Polish commentators and historians will soon appear on Vesti so the country's voice 'will be heard also in Russia.'
Putin is slated to visit Poland on September 1 for ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
Tensions between the Kremlin and Warsaw recently rose over a proposed US missile shield to be built on Polish soil. Russia says the shield targets its nuclear arsenal, despite American assurances that it is meant for protection against Iran.
Russian diplomats have also spoken out against the European Union's Eastern Partnership - a Polish-Swedish initiative to strengthen EU ties with six former Soviet states.
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