Warsaw, 2 July 2024: Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk (r.) welcomed the German delegation to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister for the 16th German-Polish intergovernmental consultations.
Twelve German federal ministers and ministers of state accompanied the Federal Chancellor to Warsaw.
The German delegation was welcomed with full military honours.
The two leaders held talks ahead of the 16th German-Polish intergovernmental consultations.
The most recent cabinet-level intergovernmental consultations took place six years ago.
A “family photo” is an indispensable part of the German-Polish intergovernmental consultations.
The intergovernmental consultations are an excellent opportunity for more detailed discussions of bilateral, European, foreign and security policy, and for introducing fresh impetus.
2024 is a very special year in German-Polish relations, marking the 85th anniversary of Hitler’s invasion of Poland, and the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. With this in mind, the two countries agreed a German-Polish action plan with a range of concrete projects.
Germany and Poland are strategic partners and allies. There is potential for an even closer partnership in various areas. “Our responsibility with regard to the past also means that we are responsible for our shared future ,” said Scholz in Warsaw.
One aspect of this is Germany and Poland’s plan to take a leading role in the Baltic and in protecting NATO’s eastern border. Targeted measures are to be taken to expand this collaboration.
Germany will also strive to ease the suffering and hardships of old-age for the surviving victims of the Nazis. The Federal Government will support a project to provide care for victims in their old age. The Federal Cabinet has also approved a draft measure to set up a German-Polish centre in Berlin as a place for commemoration, encounter and understanding.