Poland

[angelburst29]

Polish PM seeks explanations over report minister sought to discredit judges

FILE PHOTO: Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki leaves a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Poland's prime minister demanded explanations on Tuesday about accusations that a deputy minister sought to discredit judges critical of the government's judicial reforms by planting media rumors about their private lives.

It was the latest in a series of scandals to hit Poland’s ruling nationalists - who have come under European Union fire over moves to increase political controls over the judiciary - ahead of elections in October.

The Onet.pl website reported late on Monday that Deputy Justice Minister Lukasz Piebiak was behind a campaign to blackball critical judges including Krystian Markiewicz, a prominent critic of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and head of the judicial association Iustitia.

It published alleged transcripts of conversations between Piebiak and a woman named as Emilia in which they weighed plans to anonymously send material with rumors about Markiewicz’s private life to regional branches of Iustitia and to his home.

Emilia, whose surname was not given, acted as an intermediary between the ministry of justice and pro-government media, and also posted material online intended to compromise certain judges, according to Onet.pl.

Onet.pl’s report provoked an outcry from the centrist opposition and prompted Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to demand explanations.

“We definitely need to listen to both sides and we will see what the explanation will be and then make the right decisions,” Morawiecki told a televised news conference during an election campaign rally.

Markiewicz told private broadcaster TVN 24: “We are dealing with systematic actions taken against judges, against the rule of law in Poland. If such an attack can be made against judges and professors, it means it can be made against everyone.”

The Justice Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Contacted by Onet.pl, Piebiak said he knew Emilia only “from Twitter” and declined further comment.

“SCANDALOUS SITUATION”
Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party has pushed through a range of reforms since taking power in 2015 that the European Commission and rights groups say jeopardize the rule of law by politicizing judicial appointments.

The PiS has argued the changes were needed to improve the efficiency of the courts and rid Poland of residues of Communist rule, which ended three decades ago.

Opposition politicians accused the government on Tuesday of using state structures to discredit critics and demanded the dismissal of both Piebiak and Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro.

“Mr Ziobro, according to the media reports, knew perfectly well about this scandalous situation of baiting independent judges, what’s more, he accepted it,” opposition lawmaker Pawel Olszewski told a news conference.

Onet.pl said Piebiak was supposed to inform an unidentified “boss” about the effects of the posted rumors.

“This is dangerous for the state, for democratic order... especially because it affects judges and it is paid for with public money,” said Anna Materska-Sosnowska, a political scientist at Warsaw University.

Earlier this month, Poland’s parliament speaker resigned after it was revealed that he used government aircraft for private trips, a move that suggested the PiS was keen to defuse bad publicity that could affect their re-election bid.

Despite scandals, the PiS looks set to win the Oct. 13 parliamentary vote, regularly polling over 40%. The main opposition Civic Coalition is below 30% in most polls.

Polish opposition unites in bid to wrest Senate from ruling nationalists

Polish opposition parties have joined forces to try to win a majority in the upper house of parliament, the Senate, in parliamentary elections on Oct. 13, as they struggle to oust the ruling nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) from power.

Opinion polls show PiS winning a second four-year term with more than 40 percent of the vote for the more powerful lower house, the Sejm, which is elected on a system of proportional representation based on party lists.

But the Senate is chosen on a system of first-past-the-post, whereby the candidate who wins most votes in a given constituency is duly elected. By agreeing not to put up rival candidates, the opposition parties increase their chances of defeating PiS.

“We believe that a list of jointly agreed candidates for the Senate offers us an opportunity to win the Senate elections,” Krzysztof Gawkowski, secretary-general of the leftist Wiosna party, told private Radio Zet on Sunday.

The Senate scrutinizes, debates and can reject legislation passed by the Sejm.

Critics say PiS has used its current majority in both the Sejm and the Senate to rush through bills without proper oversight or time to analyze their impact.

 

[angelburst29]

Poland's ruling party holds ground before October vote

Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski speaks during an election meeting in Stalowa Wola, Poland, August 18, 2019. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party would still win the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections scheduled for October, according to a poll released on Tuesday.

A poll showed PiS with 41% support, just down from 42% on Jul. 26-27, while its main rival, the centrist Civic Platform (PO), was unchanged at 25%. The leftist coalition Lewica rose 3 percentage points to 13%.

The ruling party’s ability to form a governing coalition in such circumstances would depend on the mix of parties that got seats in the elections - the poll suggested a number of smaller groups would get through.

Poland, the European Union’s biggest eastern member, will hold elections to the lower and upper houses of parliament on Oct. 13 after four years of PiS rule.

The poll was conducted by pollster IBRiS for Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily on Aug. 23-24.

Poland's ruling party has 41% support before October vote: Indicator

Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party still enjoys the highest support out of any grouping ahead of parliamentary elections in October, according to a poll released on Tuesday.

 

[angelburst29]

Warsaw sewage plant malfunction contaminates Vistula river

The sewage is being discharged at about 3,000 litres a second at Warsaw's northern edge and goes north without affecting the city's waters.PHOTO: AFP

WARSAW (AP) - Polish authorities on Thursday (Aug 29) were warning residents in cities along the Vistula river that runs into the Baltic Sea of a "crisis" situation after Warsaw's new sewage collection plant malfunctioned.

The health minister and local authorities said they have been closely monitoring the levels of contamination north of the Polish capital, including by nitrogen, since the problem began late on Tuesday, but wouldn't disclose the results of the tests.

The sewage is being discharged at about 3,000 litres a second at Warsaw's northern edge and goes north without affecting the city's waters, the authorities said.

"There is no reason for panic and there is no threat to the health of Warsaw residents," Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said.

Other officials were speaking in the central city of Plock, about 110km north of Warsaw, which was bracing itself for a wave of contaminated water.

Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski advised people not to fish or bathe in the Vistula and to boil water before use, even for brushing teeth. Experts were working to fix the malfunction at the sewage plant, which will take longer than three days,
according to Trzaskowski.

It was not immediately clear what caused the sewage collection system, including an emergency backup, to fail.

 

[angelburst29]

Trump skips goodwill trip to Poland due to Hurricane Dorian

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly called off a weekend trip to Poland on Thursday, saying he wanted to stay home and make sure the federal government is prepared for a looming hurricane headed for Florida.

 

[Ant22]

"There is no reason for panic and there is no threat to the health of Warsaw residents," Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said.

Other officials were speaking in the central city of Plock, about 110km north of Warsaw, which was bracing itself for a wave of contaminated water.

(Heads up: sources linked below are in Polish)

The sewage plant malfunction has turned into a political issue. Trzaskowski is a member of the opposition party and the ruling party supporters call the malfunction an "ecological catastrophe" or a "crisis". Analogies are drawn between the sewage plant and Chernobyl where they also tried to cover up the damage for as long as possible (authorities were informed about the sewage plant malfunction some 18 hours after it occured). That's not entirely correct though. The initial malfunction happened on Tuesday and sewage collection was taken over by another sewage plant. Only when that one malfunctioned too and a decision was made to dump sewage into Vistula the authorities were informed.

Yet the sewage plants that malfunctioned were only built in 2012 and sewage from Warsaw's left bank was regularly dumped into Vistula up to that year - for decades prior to 2012.

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly called off a weekend trip to Poland on Thursday, saying he wanted to stay home and make sure the federal government is prepared for a looming hurricane headed for Florida.

Trump cancelled his visit but Mike Pence will arrive instead.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1167172456181727232

 

[Ant22]

Yet the sewage plants that malfunctioned were only built in 2012 and sewage from Warsaw's left bank was regularly dumped into Vistula up to that year - for decades prior to 2012.

I thought I'd add a translated excerpt from an article posted by Warsaw's Municipal Water and Sewage Company", titled Warsaw's Vistula finally without sewage, posted on 30 October 2012, implying that there was sewage in Vistula prior to that. (Emphasis mine):

Warszawska Wisła już bez ścieków • MPWiK

At the end of September this year, the extension and modernization of the Czajka Sewage Plant was completed. Thus, Warsaw joined other capitals of the European Union, which treat all municipal sewage collected by the sewage network.

Hence, prior to 2012 not all Warsaw's sewage was treated. Sewage treated by the Czajka plant was not.

Being Polish myself, I am currently visiting family in Poland and I noticed a multitude of pro-eco articles in the media. I was waiting for a dentist appointment a couple of days ago and pretty much every magazine provided for patients to keep them occupied while awaiting their appointment in the waiting room had at least one article about reducing waste, protecting the environment, living eco, etc. There were plenty of interviews with celebrities promoting eco-friendly lifestyle too.

Apart from being a subject of a local political dispute, presenting the malfunction as an ecological catastrophe is line with a larger environmentalist agenda. And just like the Amazon fires, the issue has been blown out of proportion by the media.

 

[thorbiorn]

Trump can't come and Putin wasn't invited: Invite Trump but not Putin? WWII anniversary without Russia is just rewriting history

Having US and former Axis leaders attend the 80th anniversary of WWII, but not inviting Russia, shows the event in Poland has nothing to do with paying respects to history, and everything to do with present-day politics.
The German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 is universally considered as the start of the Second World War. To mark 80 years since that fateful date, the Polish authorities have chosen to invite “present allies and partners in NATO and the EU” to a commemoration that has been moved to Warsaw for the occasion.
This means US Vice President Mike Pence will be at the ceremony, alongside the leaders of many countries that were members of the Axis during the war – from Germany and Italy to Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and Romania. Yet Russia will not be welcome.

Honestly it is shameful, but then Putin is safe where he is. That Trump can't come because of a "little hurricane" is perhaps just a sign that in the future US will have less time to bother about their vassal states in Europe including putting them at risk by vectoring their foreign policy and stationing weapons and troops.

 

[angelburst29]

Being Polish myself, I am currently visiting family in Poland and I noticed a multitude of pro-eco articles in the media. I was waiting for a dentist appointment a couple of days ago and pretty much every magazine provided for patients to keep them occupied while awaiting their appointment in the waiting room had at least one article about reducing waste, protecting the environment, living eco, etc. There were plenty of interviews with celebrities promoting eco-friendly lifestyle too.

Apart from being a subject of a local political dispute, presenting the malfunction as an ecological catastrophe is in line with a larger environmentalist agenda. And just like the Amazon fires, the issue has been blown out of proportion by the media.

It was a great idea Ant22, to dig out additional information and get a grasp on what the real story was, concerning the contaminated water. I agree, although the situation is serious - the media is hyping it out of proportion. For what's being reported, the Company was "on top of the problem" from the start and was taking measures to correct it.

France's Macron starting pushing an eco-friendly agenda, a few months ago, in line with the EU picking new members. Unfortunately, he wasn't selected for EU President (Poor-baby) ... but has persisted in pushing the environmental agenda. He wasn't too thrilled with Trump, who rejected the climate change nonsense. And it was Macron, who pushed to get the G7 group involved with the Brazilian Amazon fires. Another recent example was the hype around a failed Russian missile test. An environmental agency was claiming "high radiation readings and contamination" - only to retract part of the claims and down grade the emissions, a few days later.

Trump, on climate, says he won't jeopardize U.S. wealth on 'dreams'
U.S. President Donald Trump, responding to a question about climate change after skipping a G7 session on the issue, said on Monday that American wealth is based on energy and he will not jeopardize that for dreams and windmills.

Trump can't come and Putin wasn't invited: Invite Trump but not Putin? WWII anniversary without Russia is just rewriting history.

It's unfortunate, Poland is choosing to side with the US, while building an invisible wall against Russia. In the end, Poland will pay a heavy price for misinterpreting it's own History? Problems will compound themselves, as soon as the US/NATO forces get established in the Country. From some reports, locations have been selected for the new US troops. This troop movement might be the inspiration of the Pentagon - to make sure Russia only has limited contact with Poland. Some members of the G7 are also against Putin attending next year's gathering. Russia has already voiced an opinion that G20 is a better option.

No consensus on inviting Russia to G7 next year: Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday G7 leaders had not reached a consensus on inviting Russia to next year's G7 summit in the United States.

Warsaw, Washington agree on locations for new U.S. troops in Poland

Warsaw and Washington have agreed on six locations for new U.S. troops to be stationed in Poland, the country's Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Friday, a day after Donald Trump canceled a trip to the eastern European nation.

 

[thorbiorn]

It's unfortunate, Poland is choosing to side with the US, while building an invisible wall against Russia. In the end, Poland will pay a heavy price for misinterpreting it's own History? Problems will compound themselves, as soon as the US/NATO forces get established in the Country.

Belarus is a neighbour of Poland; in that respect, Poland might serve as a halfway house. Another neighbour of Poland is Ukraine. To the north there is the Baltic Sea and last but not least Kaliningrad. Similarly a strong presence in Poland can be used as a leverage position to pressure Germany to the west of Poland, as Germany has shown less enthusiasm, at least according to statistics about the size of the national contributions published by NATO.

https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2019_06/20190625_PR2019-069-EN.pdf

See also what the people think of NATO On this site there is a published survey from 2018 and Poland is in top place: This is what people think about NATO What they don't show in the list below is how many say they "don't know" Here it looks as if there are more in Poland (14 %) than in the Netherlands (6%).


The dedication to spend on NATO in terms of GDP is also greater. Poland along with Latvia, Lithuania and Romania have laws in place that demand 2 % of the GDP to military spending, and that number probably does not include the "Freedom Gas" they plan to buy from the US.

 

[angelburst29]

See also what the people think of NATO On this site there is a published survey from 2018 and Poland is in top place: This is what people think about NATO What they don't show in the list below is how many say they "don't know" Here it looks as if there are more in Poland (14 %) than in the Netherlands (6%).

NATO's continued influence ...

Poland wants sanctions against Russia over Crimea to continue

President Andrzej Duda said on Saturday that Poland saw a need to maintain Western sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of the Crimea region from Ukraine.

He also said Ukraine should have closer relations with the European Union and the NATO military alliance.

The EU and the United States have both imposed sanctions on Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said it would be appropriate to have Russia rejoin what used to be the G8 group of advanced economies, from which Russia was excluded in 2014 over Crimea’s annexation and for backing pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.

But the European Council president on Aug. 24 rebuffed Trump’s suggestion, saying there were even more reasons than before for keeping Moscow out.

 

[thorbiorn]

Poland wants sanctions against Russia over Crimea to continue

It is tempting to ask if Poland will compensate the parties that loose out on cooperation and business? I mean both in Russia and in Europe.

 

[Deleted member 4320]

It is tempting to ask if Poland will compensate the parties that loose out on cooperation and business? I mean both in Russia and in Europe.

Poland government is a puppet of USA and Israel, they only do what is expected from them.

 

[Aeneas]

The ceremony of the start of the 2. World war is being broadcast live on Sputnik and it is an exercise in historical revision. Gathering the courage I listened to VP Pence, who spared no moment to speak about freedom loving people and sovereign nations. He did not mention the role of the Soviet Union in liberating Poland, where according to RT an estimated 600.000 Soviet soldiers died.

He mentioned how America, Britain, the French, Dutch, Danish resistance and other freedom loving nations liberated Poland and the world from the Nazis. He spoke at length about the fall of the wall in 1989 and then the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

A sickbag would have been appropriate. Ukraine, Croatia, the Baltic states were there along with the rest of the Western world/NATO and their leaders/representatives.

World Leaders Attend WWII 80th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony in Warsaw

German Chancellor Angela Merkel participates in commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Warsaw along with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Ukrainian President...

sputniknews.com

World Leaders Attend WWII 80th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony in Warsaw

© AP Photo / Czarek Sokolowski
WORLD
12:50 01.09.2019Get short URL
7124
German Chancellor Angela Merkel participates in commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Warsaw along with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US Vice President Mike Pence, on Sunday, 1 September.

[...]

 

[angelburst29]

The ceremony of the start of the 2. World war is being broadcast live on Sputnik and it is an exercise in historical revision.
Gathering the courage I listened to VP Pence, who spared no moment to speak about freedom loving people and sovereign nations. He did not mention the role of the Soviet Union in liberating Poland, where according to RT an estimated 600.000 Soviet soldiers died.

Germany asks for forgiveness as Poland marks 80th anniversary of war

Germany's president asked for forgiveness for his country on Sunday for the suffering of the Polish people during World War Two as Poland marked 80 years since the Nazi German invasion that unleashed the deadliest conflict in human history.

The ceremonies began at 4:30 a.m. in the small town of Wielun, site of one of the first bombings of the war on Sept. 1, 1939, with speeches by Polish President Andrzej Duda and his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Few places saw death and destruction on the scale of Poland. It lost about a fifth of its population, including the vast majority of its 3 million Jewish citizens.

“I am here to express my feelings for the country, my patriotism, and to remind myself of these terrible times,” said 68-year-old Warsaw resident Krzysztof Wojciechowski.

After the war, the shattered capital of Warsaw had to rise again from ruins and Poland remained under Soviet domination until 1989.

“As a German guest I walk before you here barefoot. I look back in gratitude to the Polish people’s fight for freedom. I bow sorrowfully before the suffering of the victim,” Steinmeier said at an event later in Warsaw.

“I ask for forgiveness for Germany’s historical guilt. I profess to our lasting responsibility.”

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence paid tribute to the courage of the Polish people.

“None fought with more valor, determination, and righteous fury than the Poles,” Pence told the gathering of leaders in Warsaw that included German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

Pence attended the ceremony instead of U.S. President Donald Trump who canceled his trip due to the arrival of Hurricane Dorian, a disappointment to Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is seen as one of Washington’s biggest allies in Europe.

“America and Poland will continue to call on our allies to live up to the promises we have made to one another,” Pence said. He will hold bilateral talks in Warsaw on Monday.

Trump and the PiS government share views on issues such as migration, energy and abortion, but the Warsaw government faces mounting isolation in Europe over accusations that it subverts democratic norms.

For some in Poland, World War Two and its commemorations are still a live political issue, just weeks before a national vote.

For the PiS, the memory of the war is a major plank of its “historical politics”, aiming to counteract what it calls the West’s lack of appreciation for Polish suffering and bravery under Nazi occupation.

PiS politicians have repeatedly called for war reparations from Germany, one of Poland’s biggest trade partners and a fellow member of the European Union and NATO, and several onlookers yelled “reparations” after Steinmeier spoke.

Berlin says all financial claims linked to World War Two have been settled, but Steinmeier continued with his theme of responsibility. “Because Germany - despite its history - was allowed to grow to new strength in Europe, we Germans must do more for Europe,” he said.

Underscoring the Warsaw conservatives’ distrust of its European allies, President Duda said World War Two may have been prevented had Western nations shown more opposition to the “manic visions” of Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler. “It’s a big lesson for us,” Duda said in a speech in Warsaw.

Despite the theme of the day looking back 80 years, present day politics was, as ever, to the fore.

“We know that Europe needs to become stronger and more self-confident,” Steinmeier said. “But we also know: Europe should not be strong without America - or even against America. Rather, Europe needs partners. And I’m sure America needs partners in this world too ... So let’s take care of this partnership!”

Conspicuously absent was Russian President Vladimir Putin who attended Sept. 1 events in Poland 10 years ago, but wasn’t invited this time, reflecting a change in relations following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

“There could be different assessments of the Soviet policy at the early stage of the Second World War. But one cannot deny the fact that it was the Soviet Union, which defeated Nazism, liberated Europe and saved European democracy from the annihilation,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

ELECTION LOOMING
Poland was holding a series of commemorations during the day. Parallel events, attended by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and European Commission deputy chief Frans Timmermans, were held in the coastal city of Gdansk, site of one of the first battles of the war.
Morawiecki spoke of the huge material, spiritual, economic and financial losses Poland suffered in the war.

“We need to talk about those losses, we need to remember, we need to demand truth and demand compensation,” Morawiecki said.

Critics say PiS’s ambition is to fan nationalism among voters at a time when populists around the world are tapping into historical revisionism. PiS says the country’s standing on the global stage and national security are at stake.

Wartime remembrance has become a campaign theme ahead of the national election due on Oct. 13, with PiS - expected to win - accusing the opposition of failing to protect Poland’s image.

“Often, we are faced with substantial ignorance when it comes to historical policy ... or simply ill will,” Jaroslaw Sellin, deputy culture minister, told Reuters.

Poland commemorates the outbreak of World War Two rather than its end because it fell under Soviet domination shortly afterwards.

Slideshow (11 Images)
Germany asks for forgiveness as Poland marks 80th anniversary of war

Putin should be in Poland on 80th anniversary of WWII outbreak, says ex-president
The former president believes that by not inviting Russia, Poland will only make the relations worse.

Former Polish President Lech Walesa © EPA/MAURICIO DUENAS CASTANEDA

WARSAW, August 29, 2019 - Former Polish President Lech Walesa, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, has castigated Warsaw’s decision not to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII on September 1, 2019.

"We will only make our relations worse, bad as they are, by not inviting Russia," he stressed in an interview with the Rzeczpospolita newspaper published on Thursday.

Walesa also pointed to the need to keep up the dialogue under the current circumstances.

This year, the main events to mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII will be held in Warsaw. Poland sent invitations to the NATO, EU and Eastern Partnership member-countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). As many as 250 guests from 40 countries, including US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, are expected to arrive.

The Polish administration decided not to invite Russia to the events, claiming that the Soviet Union was not involved in WWII on September 1, 1939. Warsaw also stated that it wanted to mark the anniversary with the countries it now closely cooperates with.

For his part, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that "any memorial events in any countries dedicated to the anniversaries of the Great Patriotic War or World War II cannot be considered full-fledged without Russia's participation," because Russia’s role in the Victory over Nazism cannot be overestimated.

A total of 600,000 Soviet soldiers lost their lives while liberating Poland from the Nazis who invaded the country in 1939.

Certain states’ policies reveal that WWII lessons were not learned — Russian diplomat
"Regretfully, many unpleasant similarities with the events of the 1930s can be found in the modern world," Ivan Soltanovsky said.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe Ivan Soltanovsky © Russia's mission to the Council of Europe

Certain states’ military buildup and attempts to divide nations into "first-rate" and "second-rate" ones are reminiscent of developments that took place during the decade that preceded the Second World War, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe Ivan Soltanovsky has told TASS.

"This year [on September 1] we mark the 80th anniversary since the outbreak of World War II. Not only is this date important from the point of view of history, it is also of great political significance," Soltanovsky said. "The anniversary is an important occasion to think about the chain of destructive events, caused by the dogmatism, stubbornness and short-sighted approach of European political elites in 1930s, which led humanity to the six-year-long massacre. This is also a chance to compare those events to present-day political processes and to discover several unpleasant parallels."

"Regretfully, many unpleasant similarities with the events of the 1930s can be found in the modern world. Countries are still divided into ‘first-rate’ and ‘second-rate’ ones, countries from the first group still have more rights than others and are still ready to sustain their economic well-being at the expense of the second group," Soltanovsky said, mentioning the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the role of certain countries in the present-day Syrian crisis.

"Western nations are still seeking to ensure their security at the expense of others. All of Russia’s latest initiatives in creating a common system of security in Europe have been ignored," the Russian diplomat went on.

He also said the majority of EU member states turn a blind eye to discrimination of certain minorities and glorification of Nazis and their collaborationists in Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine. Those states’ attempts to "wipe out the names of soldiers and marshals who liberated them" have also been left largely unnoticed, Soltanovsky said.

"At all international platforms and in the course of bilateral contacts, Russian diplomats have been trying to explain how dead-ended and dangerous those policies might be," Russia’s envoy to the Council of Europe said. "We hope that our efforts would not prove to be futile and the world would not plunge into new madness."

"Facts about WWII and the role of the Red Army in the victory over the Nazi Germany must never be extorted," he added. "This is not the case where ‘varying points of view’ are permissible, as some states want it to be. Free interpretation of historic events may have irreparable consequences.".

 

[angelburst29]

U.S. and Poland urge tougher checks on foreign influence over 5G networks

The United States and Poland believe suppliers of 5G network equipment should be rigorously evaluated for foreign government control, a joint declaration signed on Monday said, as Washington pressures allies to exclude China from 5G networks.

U.S. Vice President Pence calls for vigilance about Russia

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence sought on Monday to reassure Poland about Washington's commitment to protecting it from Russia, saying allies should "remain vigilant" about Moscow's election meddling and work towards independence from Russian energy supplies.