"I can say with all certainty that today our relations are very good," has said Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz in an interview with Albanian Daily News on the eve of his visit to Tirana on May 7, 2018.
Minister Czaputowicz unveiled the agenda of his visit to Tirana, his first, which includes talks with President Ilir Meta, Prime Minister Edi Rama while together with his counterpart Bushati, they will open the first meeting of the Tirana Conference which is a bilateral consultation forum of civil servants. "It gives us a unique opportunity to share Polish experience from the pre-accession period when we had to perform the difficult task of implementing reforms - just like Albania today," said Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz in the interview which follows:
Albanian Daily News: Minister, in the first instance I thank you very much for sharing with the readers of Albanian Daily News some of your opinions on the eve of your visit to Albania. Your Excellency, we wish you a successful visit and would like to know how you see the level of relations between Albania and Poland? And what are your expectations for them in the future?
FM Jacek Czaputowicz: Poland and Albania have a long history of relations dating back to the 15th century when the Albanian commander Skanderbeg allied with the king of Poland and Hungary Vladislav of Varna in the fight against the Turkish invasion of Europe. In modern times, diplomatic relations were established in 1937. After the collapse of communism in Europe we gained the freedom to develop our bilateral relations. I can say with all certainty that today our relations are very good.
Since 2009 we have been NATO allies. Poland appreciates Albania's engagement in strengthening the Eastern flank and fight against terrorism. We are a steady supporter of Albania's European aspirations and therefore we are very glad that recently in its progress report the European Commission recommended opening accession negotiations with Albania.
Our bilateral economic cooperation is developing well, with both Albanian exports to Poland and Polish exports to Albania on the increase. Let me also remind you that later this month the third Polish-Albanian Business Forum will be held in Tirana.
I expect our relations to develop further in the future, also thanks to our collaboration in NATO as well as in the area of European integration. And in the light of the increasing tourist movement I would like to stress the importance of people-to-people contacts as an element of relations between our countries.
- Which are some of the highlights of your visit's agenda and what do you expect its results to be? Actually, have you ever been to Albania and what are your impressions of the Albanian people, history and traditions?
- I am delighted with this possibility to come to Tirana, especially given that this is my first visit to Albania. It will be my great honour to talk to President Meta and Prime Minister Rama. Together with my colleague Minister Bushati, we are going to open the first meeting of the Tirana Conference which is a bilateral consultation forum of civil servants. It gives us a unique opportunity to share Polish experience from the pre-accession period when we had to perform the difficult task of implementing reforms - just like Albania today.
- Minister, as a key EU member country, Poland has been an enthusiastic supporter of Albania in its drive to open EU accession negotiations. So, in your view, what could the significance be of Brussels' positive answer on this new stage for this Balkan country?
- We welcome the Commission's recommendation in the enlargement package to open accession negotiations with Albania and Macedonia. We look forward to accession talks being opened in respect to both countries this year. In 2018 we have to decisively move the integration process forward. If we miss this chance, the window of opportunity might close. At the same time I want to stress that opening accession negotiations must be understood as the beginning of hard work, even harder than before, aimed at meeting EU requirements. But I wish to reassure you that Poland is eager to support you on this path to the EU.
-Poland is considered as a country with a high level of economic development. My question will focus on one special aspect of diplomacy - 'the economic diplomacy'. What is the key to Warsaw's economic diplomacy efforts to make Poland an attractive spot to a broad range of foreign investors?
- Poland is an attractive place to invest and develop business. The first thing investors need is the long term economic stability of the country where they decide to invest. They also want to make sure that their businesses won't be adversely affected by any unexpected governmental decisions. Investment reports and surveys show that foreign investors express strong confidence in Poland's long-term economic policy and welcome the steady improvement of the investment climate. The number of businesses investing in advanced technology in our country is systematically growing - IT, automotive, aviation, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies of global stature have located their research and development hubs here. We expect the volume of the FDI to rise even more in the coming years.
On the other hand, Polish businesses offering computer programming, engineering systems, automation solutions and e-learning are also rapidly developing. Polish entrepreneurs have entered foreign markets with confidence, marking their presence abroad by winning new contracts. More and more Polish companies have been opening representative offices all over the world, offering services ranging from software solutions to real estate management.
The economies of our countries continue to face new challenges posed by globalisation and seek to increase their stakes in international trade and investment. The international expansion of businesses leads to a greater interest in strengthening their competitive advantage on global markets, which in turn means more initiatives undertaken by diplomats. An increasing number of countries have started to pursue economic diplomacy in a decisively more assertive manner - an approach generated by the recent global economic downturn.
Helping our business secure new opportunities in international markets and putting our diplomatic weight behind their efforts has become a new economic focus of our foreign policy. Our diplomats - no matter where they are in the world - stand ready to provide any assistance the business community might need and support building business contacts with Poland. By developing strong political relations with foreign partners we create the right climate for business alliances and partnerships.
-Minister, how do you see the EU's future after Britain's departure from the block, expected to happen in March 2019? Does Poland intend to undertake any special role to make the transition as smooth as possible and more functional for the performance of the block? In the meantime, do you think that an EU enlargement encompassing the Western Balkans can compensate for 'Brexit' in anyway?
-From the very beginning of negotiations related to Brexit, Poland has emphasized the need to maintain the closest possible relations with the UK. The latter is a significant market for Polish companies both in exports of goods and services. We are already strong trade partners and we would like to see our economic and commercial relations grow in the upcoming years. In March the European Council agreed on the possible framework for future relations between the UK and the EU. At this moment of negotiations the EU stance reflects the current position of the UK government and its redlines (i.e. leaving the customs union, the single market and the case law of the EU Court of Justice). These negotiations are not easy. However I remain hopeful that in this spirit of moderation and political realism, the sides will come to solutions which are satisfying for both of them. We see a lot of constructive work in Brussels that translates into a significant progress in negotiations. This is of particular interest for both businesses and citizens.
Brexit and EU-enlargement are two different processes that should be addressed separately. Although the perspective of the UK leaving the European Union is disappointing, I am deeply convinced that the European Union will remain strong, prosperous and engaged in the enlargement process.
- Your Excellency, a thorny dispute, mainly over the controversial justice reforms, seems to have soured relations between Warsaw and Brussels. Can you please shed some light on this controversy? What are your expectations for the situation to be resolved in a constructive way?
-The Polish government is working hard to convince the European Commission and other Member States that all provisions introduced by laws adopted by the Polish parliament fully safeguard the rule of law and implement the constitutional principle of division and balance among the three branches of power. The solutions that have been introduced in our country are similar to those already existing in other Member States that have never been questioned by the European institutions. We have expressed our arguments in the White Paper that we presented to the European Commission and EU Member States.
We have also made a significant progress in the EC-Poland rule-of-law dialogue in the past weeks. We have already seen some tangible results: the Polish Parliament has accepted bills amending the Acts on the Constitutional Tribunal, the Supreme Court and ordinary courts. The bills follow some of the EC recommendations. We do hope all doubts may be clarified in a dialogue.
- Minister, the Polish Embassy in Tirana has been very active in promoting bilateral relations in such fields like art, culture, education people-to-people exchanges. Also, special attention has been paid by the Embassy honouring dozens of Albanians who have contributed to the promotion of Polish-Albanian ties awarding them with special medals granted by the State of Poland. I have had the special honour to be one of them. How do you consider this aspect for bringing closer our two societies?
-This human dimension of our bilateral relations, if I may call it this way, is just as important as our cooperation in the political and economic sphere. Thanks to direct people-to-people contacts in the fields of culture, education or science, and also thanks to tourism, Albanians and Poles get to know each other and learn about each other's country. Negotiations on a new Cooperation Programme between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth of the Republic of Albania are ongoing and should be finalised this year. This will allow for a more intense student exchange between our countries.
I am also happy that at the end of March 2018 Polish Language Studies were re-established at the Philology Faculty of the University of Tirana. I am convinced that graduates of this academic programme will not only be great promoters of Polish culture but will also assist Poles who have been coming to Albania in growing numbers, either as tourists or as businessmen.

- In conclusion, Your Excellency, top Polish officials have voiced their support to the US military actions in Syria. "The United States for sure is a guarantor of world peace and order," an official Polish statement stated. As winds of a new Cold War seem rising how do you consider the role of the US and NATO to prevent any risk of escalation of tension sparking a wider conflict between NATO and Russia?
- The North Atlantic Alliance, including the United States, has been successfully fulfilling its primary role of preserving peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic area for nearly 70 years now. Over such a long period the Alliance managed to adapt itself to the changing security environment and evolving challenges and threats. Nowadays, the security environment of the Euro-Atlantic community is determined to a large extent by "unfriendly" Russian attitude and actions. That is why we are focusing today on the one hand on establishing effective and credible deterrence and defence and on the other on easing tensions. To put it in other words: we believe that the best strategy to prevent conflict is to deter potential adversaries and to prepare to defend ourselves in case our deterrence fails.
At the same time, NATO remains ready for a constructive dialogue, including with Russia. However, Russian political and military actions, especially since 2014, have significantly worsened the security situation in the Euro-Atlantic area, be it in the Black or Baltic Sea, the Arctic or the Middle East (Syria). Russian rhetoric does not help building confidence either. Kremlin chooses a path of confrontation. What NATO does is in reaction to Russian aggressive policy in our region (annexation of Crimea, conflict in Eastern Ukraine) and provocative incidents (the Baltic and Black Sea). Such policy does not help in re-building confidence neither in having constructive dialogue. Nevertheless we hope that sooner or later Russia will re-commit itself to a peaceful cooperation in Europe. For the moment NATO remains the most important guarantor of peace and security in Europe.