Merkel's successor has arrived in Warsaw. Why Nord Stream 2 is in the interests of Poland
The new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Warsaw and met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Everything will remain the same in Polish-German relations. However, it is surprising that official Warsaw, at the highest level meeting with its German partner, pays more attention to Ukraine than to Poland and Europe as a whole.
Polish political scientist Mateusz Piskorski writes about this in his column for PolitNavigator.
Morawiecki once again spoke about the threats allegedly associated with the planned commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. He hinted at the potential for “energy blackmail” by the Kremlin and the need for “energy independence” of the European Union. But first of all, his concern is the fate of Ukraine, or rather the transit of gas through this country. And therefore, the head of the Polish government continues to hope that Germany will abandon SP-2, although even in Washington they no longer feel such hopes.
Scholz reassured his Polish colleague, assuring that Berlin would defend the interests of Kyiv. And in general, he emphasized that soon we will all live in a new reality, in which renewable sources of green energy will displace oil and gas.
In general, everything is clear. Despite the objections of the Greens, the German government intends to import Russian gas through a new gas pipeline. This is simply necessary from the point of view of the further development of the German economy.
Morawiecki and the government in Warsaw must understand that SP-2 also serves the interests of Poland. After all, the Polish economy is closely interconnected with the economy of neighboring Germany and, in fact, is part of the larger German economic space. And elementary logic dictates that if the development of German industry depends on Russian gas, its effective supplies also affect the state of the Polish economy. But Morawiecki prefers to talk about Ukraine and its national interests.
By the way, speaking in Warsaw, Chancellor Scholz clearly spoke in favor of continuing the dialogue in the Normandy format with the aim of peacefully resolving the Donbass conflict. His Polish colleague limited himself to regular statements about the need to impose sanctions.
Thus, the Polish government can count on one ally in the new coalition government of Germany in “SP-2” and Eastern policy in general. Annalena Berbock, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, periodically makes harsh anti-Russian statements. But for Warsaw, the German “green” politician is not an entirely reliable friend: after all, it is her political party that advocates sharp pressure on Poland due to the Warsaw leadership’s failure to comply with the rule of law and other EU standards.
Also, do not forget that German foreign policy is more the prerogative of the Federal Chancellor, and this process began under Merkel. Scholz is ready to communicate politely with the Poles, but nothing more. First of all, he will pursue the interests of Germany, even if the Polish right will accuse the Germans of trying to create a “Fourth Reich,” as the head of the Polish ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has already stated.
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