“The agreement closes a stage far from the optimal state, a stage in bilateral relations and opens prospects for balanced, equal and reciprocal relations, Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said at a press conference while meeting with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen.
“A favorable circumstance to complete the negotiation process”
The heads of diplomacy of Poland and Israel signed an important agreement that addresses, among other things, the issue of youth travel from Israel to Poland (and vice versa).
I welcome the visit of the Foreign Minister of Israel to Warsaw. A visit that creates an opportunity to restore equal partnership relations between our countries
Rau emphasized.
The current state of these relations, which did not come about on our initiative and to our disappointment, did not meet the requirements of relations between two democratic countries, nor the expectations of our societies.
– added.
Minister Cohen’s visit also created a favorable environment for the completion of the negotiation process on a new comprehensive agreement governing the organization of educational visits by Israeli youth in Poland and Polish youth in Israel
he pointed it out.
Last year, Poland proposed to the Israeli side to conclude a comprehensive intergovernmental agreement on reciprocal education programs providing for visits of Israeli youth to Poland and Polish youth to Israel, as well as their technical organization
– emphasized the head of Polish diplomacy.
Rau: Truth-based relationships
Our proposal fully respected the autonomy of the parties, i.e. it took as its starting point that the education of the Israeli youth is the responsibility of the State of Israel, while the education of the Polish youth is a matter for the Polish State
Zbigniew Rau continued.
On the other hand, we proceeded from the statement of another obvious fact – that the Israeli authorities carry out their own educational program on the territory of the Polish state and that in organizing it they must take into account the general principles that derive from the Polish legal order and the importance of Poland as a host. Similarly, Polish education programs conducted in Israel must respect Israel’s legal order and the fact that they are hosted on its territory
noted the minister.
We have defined Poland’s interest in concluding such an agreement as follows: Poland is also interested in Israeli youths, who – in most cases – visit the land of their ancestors and make pilgrimages with the intention of honoring their memory , get reliable knowledge about German responsibility for the crimes of the Holocaust
he stressed.
We also wanted it to experience the realities of today’s modern, safe and welcoming Poland, which is one of the main security providers in Europe.
said Raw.
We are also interested in increasing the knowledge of Polish youth about the State of Israel, its culture and the challenges it faces. We believe that the agreement signed today will contribute to reducing mutual stereotypes and deepening interpersonal contacts
he argued.
I believe that relations between young people from Poland and Israel, based on historical truth, are the key to harmonious relations between our societies. We note with satisfaction that the Israeli side referred to our position with understanding and accepted the Polish proposal
he assessed.
What’s in the agreement?
During the negotiations, which lasted almost a year and were led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also attended by representatives of the Ministry of State and National Education, we managed to reach agreement on the following issues. Firstly, we have taken equality of parties and mutual benefit as a starting point.
said the head of Polish diplomacy.
Secondly, the agreement stipulates that meetings of peers from Poland and Israel will be an important part of the program of mutual visits by young people. It is very important that young Poles and young Israelis have as many opportunities as possible to interact and get to know each other. Joint meetings are the best antidote to harmful and false associations
said the minister.
Third, the agreement stipulates that the programs of visits by young Israelis will not only include visits to memorial sites related to the history of the Holocaust. The program of Israeli educational visits also includes teaching about the history of Poland, the nearly thousand-year-old heritage of Polish Jews, and equally long Polish-Jewish relations, which were mostly harmonious in the millennium dimension.
announced Zbigniew Rau.
Fourth, we agreed that the responsibility for ensuring the safety of groups of young people would lie with the host country. This principle is worth emphasizing because of the past controversies caused by the presence of armed Israeli officers during visits to Poland
he noticed.
The Polish side pointed out that Poland is a safe country for Israelis, Jews and other foreigners alike. Therefore, in standard situations, there is no need for enhanced security coordination with the Israeli side
he stressed.
The Israeli side shared this view. Poland maintains its willingness to receive organized groups of Israeli youth almost immediately according to the standard of Polish law and the new agreement. We expect a similar openness from the Israeli side to visits by Polish youth in Israel
Zbigniew Rau added.
The agreement closes a phase far from the optimal state, a phase in bilateral relations and opens prospects for balanced, equal and reciprocal relations
he concluded.
Cohen: An important moment in relations between Israel and Poland
The signing of the Youth Travel Agreement is an important moment in relations between Israel and Poland and between our nations; knowledge of the past is the key to the future, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in Warsaw on Wednesday.
At a joint press conference with the foreign ministers of Poland and Israel, Zbigniew Rau and Eli Cohen signed an agreement on the organization of travel for Israeli youth to Poland and Polish youth to Israel.
The head of Israeli diplomacy stressed that this is an important moment in relations between the two countries and nations.
This moment is part of history
he said.
He expressed his satisfaction with the signing of the agreement, which allows for the immediate resumption of Israeli youth tours to Poland.
It is not just about youth delegations, but about dialogue about our history
– said Cohen, expressing the hope that Polish youth would come to Israel.
Young people are our future and knowledge of the past is the key to the future
he said.
The head of Israel’s foreign ministry said Poles and Jews lived, worked and created side by side for a thousand years. He pointed out that there were also periods when a large part of the Jewish diaspora lived in Poland.
Jews and Poles together created great things for Jews, for Poles and for World Heritage: writers, scientists, Nobel laureates, great composers, musicians
he summed up.
He added that four prime ministers of Israel were born and lived in Poland.
As he said, it is impossible to describe the history of Judaism without a Polish chapter, and it is impossible to describe contemporary Poland without a Jewish past.
In addition, there is also a lot of pain, one of the greatest in our history, namely the Holocaust and World War II, Nazi German attempts to exterminate 6 million Jews.
– added.
No more anti-Semitism, no more discrimination against other people, no more desire to exterminate the Jews of the world. We must not forget what hatred, racism and anti-Semitism can lead to
added Cohen.
“I came here to renew relations between our countries.”
The appointment of the Polish ambassador to Israel will allow the resumption of diplomatic work, which is necessary in light of the challenges we face, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in Warsaw.
I came here to renew relations between our countries
– stated Eli Cohen at a joint conference with the head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I hope that the Polish ambassador to Israel will return
he said.
The appointment of the Polish ambassador to Israel will allow the resumption of diplomatic work, which is necessary in light of the challenges we face
– added.
As Cohen emphasized, cooperation between countries must continue in social and economic fora.
After the agreement with the youth delegation, we will work together and work towards more investment and economic relations
he said.
Minister Cohen spoke about Polish-Israeli history; recalled that his country supported “Solidarity” and “Poland’s aspirations for freedom during the communist regime”. He also stressed the importance of excellent relations between the two countries after 1989.
I am convinced that even today Poland and Israel can and should create excellent relations, and it is even my goal to strengthen these relations even more. We can do this by working together, with our many friends in Poland
said the head of Israeli diplomacy.
The head of the Israeli Foreign Ministry also expressed the hope that he will soon be able to host Zbigniew Rau in his country.
Earlier, during a joint press conference with the head of Israeli diplomacy, Eli Cohen, the head of the Polish foreign ministry, Zbigniew Rau, announced an agreement with Israel on the organization of travel of Israeli youth to Poland and Polish youth to Israel .
aja/PAP
Source: wPolityce