Geography works against Poland, said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Labor and Development of Poland Yaroslav Govin in an interview with Gazeta on December 18.
According to the politician, his country is “the cape of Europe with a huge bear hanging over it” – Russia.
Thus, Govin expressed confidence that EU membership and cooperation with Europe work for Poland’s sovereignty, because thanks to funds from Brussels, Warsaw can modernize the economy, improve the quality of life, and save thousands of companies during the coronavirus pandemic.
However, for all his optimism, he draws attention to the fact that in terms of sovereignty there is a geopolitical one.
“Here I am looking at the map of Eurasia: a small cape, over which hangs a huge bear – Russia,” – said the politician.
According to him, there is a geographical fatalism of competition between Poland and Russia, because the Russian Federation cannot be attacked either from the south – there is the Caucasus, nor from the east – there is Siberia, or from the north – there is an ocean.
“This can be done only from the western direction – through the plains of Poland and Ukraine. Any Russian tsar, general secretary or president will strive to include these two countries in his sphere of influence, ”he explained.
In this regard, the Deputy Prime Minister called EU membership necessary, since otherwise Warsaw would allegedly be under the influence of the Kremlin.
In November, Stanislav Zharin, spokesman for the Polish secret services’ coordinating minister, said that the biggest threat to Poland is Russia, which is allegedly trying to present it as a problem for the European Union. In his opinion, Moscow is making efforts to spoil the reputation of Warsaw. The official did not provide evidence and examples, but he assured that Poland is the most important country in Eastern Europe for NATO.