Polish, Estonian PMs talk regional security
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
19.09.2017 16:10
Poland and the Baltic states must work closely together amid concerns about regional security, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło said on Tuesday after talks with her Estonian counterpart Juri Ratas.
Szydło (right) and Ratas shake hands at a press conference after their Warsaw talks on Tuesday. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
Szydło told reporters after the Warsaw meeting that the talks had focused on “important security issues” in the region, in addition to bilateral relations and challenges facing the European Union.
"We exchanged remarks about the [Russian-Belarusian] Zapad 2017 [military] exercises and also discussed cybersecurity threats,” Szydło told reporters, adding that she talked with Ratas about "what is happening right now across our eastern border, what is happening in the Baltic region."
"We agreed that the cooperation between Poland and the Baltic states must be very strong, and that we have our own interests, but we are primarily interested in the security of the region," Szydło said.
She described Estonia as “a very important partner for Poland” and told reporters that Tuesday’s talks also addressed infrastructure issues, including the Rail Baltica regional transport project.
Migration and planned changes to an EU directive on so-called posted workers were also among the topics discussed by the two prime ministers, according to Poland’s PAP news agency.
Both officials agreed that a compromise solution should be worked out in the matter, PAP reported. Szydło reiterated her position that the latest proposals on the issue are unacceptable for Poland.
Estonia holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, a six-month period during which the government in Tallinn has promised to focus on cybersecurity and efforts to develop a digital economy.
The Estonian capital is preparing to host an EU digital summit on 29 September. (gs/pk)
Source: PAP