Publication

Institute of World Policy prepared a memo on the signals that are to be sent to the Polish decision-makers and public by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko during his visit to Poland.In the course of the visit to Warsaw President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko should:
– note that Ukrainian-Polish relations are of strategic character and of strategic priority to Ukraine;
– express gratitude for the consistent support provided by Poland to European and Euroatlantic integration of Ukraine, visa-free regime for Ukraine and upholding of EU sanctions against Russia;
– thank Poland for comprehensive aid in realization of the reforms in Ukraine; underline that Ukraine carefully studies Polish experience of transformation and eurointegration and is grateful to Polish advisers for assistance in the implementation of the Association Agreement with European Union;
– emphasize that Ukraine is interested in development of Poland as strong, successful and influential country, that continues to be reliable partner of Ukraine in the region and in the EU, NATO, OSCE, UN etc.;
– underscore interest of Ukraine to be involved in the realization of ABC initiative (cooperation of Central and Eastern European countries), and, inter alia, suggest to Poland a joint preparation for the next summit that will take place in Wroclaw in June 2017 within the framework of this initiative.
On the issues of security:
– express gratitude for Polish support of NATO «open door policy» with regards to Ukraine and lobbying of Ukrainian issue as the part of the agenda of Warsaw NATO summit;
– thank for Polish assistance in confronting of Russian aggression (inter alia training of Ukrainian instructors by Polish servicemen, provision of humanitarian assistance, treatment and rehabilitation of injured in the ATO, etc.);
– underscore successes attained within the framework of training of LITPOLUKRBRIG and welcome involvement of personnel and materials of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the operational service within the framework of the newly established tactical Visegrad Four (V4) Battlegroup;
– emphasize the readiness of Ukraine to share experience in countering of hybrid warfare, inter alia in the development of Polish territorial defense forces;
– suggest to President of Poland to initiate joint declaration of the leaders of Central and Eastern European countries to President-elect Donald Trump. This joint declaration shall provide clear-cut arguments why this region is important for US interests and transatlantic security and explain the dangers which hybrid warfare constitutes for this region;
– emphasize the importance of regional cooperation in ensuring energy security, inter alia, creation of interconnectors within Eastern European gas hub between Ukraine, V4 counties and Romania;
– emphasize the strategic importance of Ukraine and Poland for the security of NATO/EU Eastern border; underscore that Ukraine has removed all obstacles for the use of Polish 100 million euro credit for construction of access roads and joint check-points at Ukraine-Polish border and express hope that the upgrade of the border management infrastructure will become common Ukrainian-Polish success story, including through combating of illegal migration.
On the issues of history:
– emphasize the constructive development of Ukrainian-Polish dialogue on history, inter alia through adoption of Declaration of Memory and Solidarity by Ukrainian and Polish Parliaments;
– propose an Action Plan on historical dialogue between Ukraine and Poland to show the readiness of Ukraine for such a dialogue and the vision on how this dialogue could be conducted;
– underline that the study of tragic pages of Ukrainian-Polish past should be the subject of the research by historians; any employment of history for political purposes is unacceptable and should be recognized as such that inflicts irreparable damage to the present good-neighborly relations;
– welcome the development of cooperation between historians of Ukraine and Poland within the framework of Ukrainian-Polish Forum of Historians, encourage the implementation of other initiatives aimed at depolitization and constructive study of the common past.
On Ukrainian community in Poland:
– thank activists of the Ukrainian community for their activities as promoters of Ukrainian national interests and conductors of Ukrainian public diplomacy;
– emphasize the importance of Ukrainians migrant workers in the development of Polish and Ukrainian economies;
– express concern on the increased occurrences of acts of aggressive behavior against Ukrainians in Poland and vandalization of Ukrainian graves and monuments; urge the Polish government to publicly condemn such acts, investigate them and bring those responsible to justice;
– urge the Ukrainian graduates of Polish higher educational institutions to return to Ukraine and contribute to the development of the Ukrainian state;
– initiate the year of Ukrainian culture in Poland.
President should be ready for the following questions:
– current situation as to the fighting in Eastern Ukraine, observation of ceasefire, the status of the Minsk agreements implementation, etc., as well as on the situation in Crimea;
– Ukraine’s stance on the possible involvement of Poland in negotiation format of the settlement of Ukrainian-Russian conflict;
– real situation concerning the reform implementation in Ukraine, the implementation of the Association Agreement and the fight against corruption;
– problem of VAT refund to Polish entrepreneurs;
– resignation of Saakashvili and his role in the political processes in Ukraine;
– appointment to the Ukrainian government of former Polish officials, who have a mixed reputation in Poland, evaluation of their work;
– policy of Ukraine in the realm of history, including the expected adoption of amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the legal status and commemoration of fighters for independence of Ukraine in the XX century” that the status of the fighters for Ukraine’s independence does not apply to people whose actions qualify as a crime against humanity;
– questions raised by the recently published book by Polish journalists Zbigniew Parafianowicz and Michael Potocki «Crystal piano. Betrayals and victories of Petro Poroshenko».
In order to maximize the effect of his messages the President should:
– address the Polish people in Polish language;
– conduct an open discussion/debate involving the media, as well as hold a meeting with the representatives of Polish civil society;
– thank Polish journalists and experts for constant attention to the events in Ukraine.