Round Table discussions
On 11 February 2010 in Berlin Tomasz Siemoniak, Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration took part in a meeting on the results of the performance of the Polish-German Treaty on Good Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation signed in 1991.
The discussion during the meeting was concerned with the situation of German citizens of Polish origin and the representatives of the German minority in Poland. Apart from the delegation from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration the Polish representation at the meeting, which was organized on the initiative of Christoph Bergner, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Interior and Federal Commissioner for Displaced People and National Minorities, included Marek Prawda, Polish Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chancellery of the Prime Minister. Apart from the government representatives from both countries, representatives of the Convention of Polish Organizations in the Federal Republic of Germany representing the interests of the Polish diaspora in Germany and the Union of Poles in Germany “Rodło”, as well as representative of the German minority in Poland took part in the meeting..
During bilateral consultation Tomasz Siemoniak attended a private meeting with Christoph Bergner. The meeting was an introduction to discussions with the representatives of the German party, as well as representatives of Polish diasporas and German minorities in Poland.
During the meeting the German federal authorities put forward their positions and proposals concerning cooperation and support of German citizens of Polish origin and the German minority in Poland. The representatives of Polish diasporas and German minority, in turn, presented their proposals regarding the improvement of their situation.
A notable result of the meeting was deepening of the dialogue between the parties. Also a joint decision to draw up a joint document (roadmap), which would include a list of problem areas, institutions responsible for the solutions of the problems, as well as preliminary deadlines for their performance, was a significant result. During the meeting the parties declared the appointment of working groups for particular problems in this area. At the same time Tomasz Siemoniak invited Christoph Bergner, Federal Commissioner for Displaced People and National Minorities, to the next “Round Table” meeting in Poland.
This meeting is an introduction to a more intensified cooperation between the two countries on the support of Polish diasporas in Germany and members of German minority in Poland, as well maintenance of cultural and national identity of these two groups.
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