On May 17-18, Warsaw will host the Summit of Speakers of the Central and Eastern European Parliaments. The main topics of the meeting will be: security of the region, cooperation in infrastructure, and building the role of national parliaments. The initiative is the idea of the Polish Speakers of the Sejm and Senate.

- We took the decision on such an initiative in consultation with many experts from our home country and after a number of different meetings held over the years, among others among the politicians of the Visegrad Group, the Weimar Triangle, the Baltic States and the Eastern Partnership,' said the Speaker of the Sejm about the upcoming summit. - Firstly, after the death of President Lech Kaczyński, we received information from various quarters that a certain void was developing in our region and we had to react to that. Secondly, last year we tried to invite several countries in Europe, but outside the European Union, to reflect together on how they see cooperation between themselves and other countries of Central or Western Europe. We were surprised by their very positive reaction - hence the planned summit - he justified.

TWO-SPEED EUROPE

Marek Kuchciński revealed that "there are several reasons for the meeting and the danger of maintaining European integration through "two-speed Europe" is one of them. – The role of representatives of our state is to look for a solution to this very serious problem – he said.

The Marshal of the Sejm noted that "beyond our eastern or north-eastern borders there are a number of countries that either aspire to be called a European Union state or have a similar point of view to Poland, i.e. they see Europe as a community of sovereign and cooperating states." – We believe that parliamentary diplomacy should have a lot to say here. Such initiatives are important and are not aimed against the EU, but they are a form of encouragement to think about the renewal of the Union by strengthening the importance of national and state parliaments, and not only the bodies of the European Union. We are also talking about the reconstruction of national awareness and state sovereignty and statehood itself. These values are very important for the countries we are going to meet with, he added.

KAZAKHSTAN TURKEY IS AN AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT

The presidents and vice-presidents of the parliaments have declared their arrival in Warsaw: Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and Hungary.

Marshal Kuchciński pointed out that "the governments in the countries that will come to the May meeting are very diverse." – This is even more a challenge and a desire to find a recipe and agreement or dialogue. Otherwise, we will continue to agree to building walls, which we had to deal with in post-war Poland, he pointed out. - Kazakhstan and Turkey are countries located in geographical Europe and - taking into account the possibilities of infrastructure development - contacts with these countries are necessary and indispensable. In the coming years, cooperation between China and European countries will develop very quickly, so a common goal must be set out and pursued, he added.

A FORM OF FAMILIARIZATION WITH DEMOCRATIC PARLIAMENTARY POWER

- We are guided by the principle of "equal with equals, free with free", which is the old principle of the Republic of Poland, on which the first European Union was based - that is, the Union of two, three and even many nations - he said.

The Marshal noted that "the interest in the meeting is emphasized in various ways". – But we simply want to establish a dialogue with those countries that want to visit us. The fact that the meeting is organized in Warsaw in no way indicates us as a potential leader. Such leaders in their dimensions may be Ukraine, Turkey or Hungary, he pointed out.

Marshal Kuchciński emphasized that "the cooperation of several countries gives our part of Europe a chance for better perception and faster development." – I must admit that Germany also needs an equal partner in terms of potential in this part of Europe – he noted.

SUMMIT TAKEN (UN)SERIOUSLY

Marek Kuchciński also said that "we are not at the stage of assessment by the countries of "old Europe". – There is a lot of interest in the summit organized by Poland. Both German and Swedish representatives asked about it. This is a form of visitation that has not been organized before. But the point is to draw the attention of, for example, Germany to problems that are close to the countries of Eastern Europe or the European Union. The war in Ukraine is not only a problem for our eastern neighbors but also for Poland. Hence? As a consequence, it is also a problem for the entire European Union, including Western countries, pointed out Marek Kuchciński.

According to the Chancellery of the Sejm, the planned topics of the summit will include: security of the region in the face of current threats, cooperation in the field of infrastructure on the North-South axis, and building the role of national parliaments in international politics.