President Of Poland Bronisław Komorowski (L) speaks with journalists in Braga, Portugal, at the 10th meeting of the Arraiolos Group. Photo: PAP/Pawel Supernak
The Polish president is currently attending the 10th meeting of the 7-member Arraiolos Group in Braga, alongside the presidents of Hungary, Finland, Austria, Germany, Latvia and Portugal.
“In situations of crisis, when several EU countries are threatened – and they are threatened today – it can be easier to make a decision about difficult matters, opening up a completely new, safer perspective,” he said.
“We all feel that Russia is using energy problems, namely the fact that it is a supplier of energy, especially gas, as a kind of political weapon,” he added.
Poland's concept of an energy union, as promoted by former prime minister Donald Tusk, envisages among other factors that EU member states jointly negotiate energy contracts with Russia.
“EU solidarity would prevent (Moscow) from carrying out energy blackmail,” Komorowski argued, claiming that the Russian gas business would be in danger of collapsing if it did not cooperate.
Other elements in the proposed energy union include a diversification of energy sources, and the rehabilitation of coal – a key energy source for Poland.
The two-day Arraiolos Group meeting ends on Tuesday. Besides energy, the participants are also discussing matters such as immigration.
Controversial Russian exhibition demounted
Meanwhile, a controversial Russian exhibition on eastern Ukraine that accompanied a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Warsaw has been demounted.
The exhibition, which was held at Warsaw's Hotel Victoria, presented images taken by fallen Russian photographer Andrei Stenin, whose was allegedly hit by Ukrainian tanks on 6 August, while travelling with a convoy of refugees.
Ukrainian delegates at the Warsaw OSCE meeting complained that the exhibition was one-sided, with photograph tags such as 'Crying Victims of the Ukrainian Army.' (nh)
Source: PAP, TVP