Poland wants good relations with Russia but is concerned about some elements of Russian policy including the decision to increase the military budget, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Monday.
"Russian military budget grows very fast," Polish news agency PAP quoted Sikorski as telling a CNN program.
The Polish foreign minister underlined that Poland's sensitivity to the problem was understandable because Poland was a NATO border country, weaker than some other big states in Europe.
"Poland has also important economic ties with Russia including trade exchange worth 14 billion euros. Poland doesn't want to endanger it," the minister said.
"Poland wants good relations with Russia more than anyone else because it has much more to lose if relations deteriorate. However, hoping for the best one must brace for the fact that one's hopes may not come true," Sikorski declared.
The minister noted Russia's nationalist policy of fueling the feeling of external danger.
"The time when we could say that Russia aspired to our model of society, our rules, is, unfortunately, over. We are now dealing with a model of internal integration of society in relation to external threats. This is neither good nor arousing trust of Russia's neighbors," Sikorski stated.
Asked whether he was afraid of Russia, the foreign minister replied he did not want another cold war as it was in the interest of neither side.
Source:Xinhua
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