Scholz takes German cabinet to Poland with defence high on agenda

2/7/2024 13:28

        German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk meet in Warsaw on Tuesday, as nations with a difficult shared history seek to reinforce cooperation in the face of security challenges and political turbulence in Europe.
        
        The leaders will take part in intergovernmental consultations featuring the countries' cabinets, the first such meeting since 2018.
        
        Relations between the countries have warmed since Tusk's pro-European coalition came to power in December, ending eight years of nationalist rule in Poland during which the Law and Justice (PiS) government regularly painted Germany as a hostile force.
        
        The meeting comes as the countries face security challenges linked to the war in Ukraine and a turbulent geopolitical environment, with the far right winning the first round of parliamentary elections in France and European leaders bracing for the possibility of Donald Trump returning as U.S. president.
        
        Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marek Prawda told Reuters that the meeting was the "opening of conversation in a spirit of concern about the future".