It is established
that in the second half of the 90s of the 20th – early 21st
century, in Poland,
the process of institutionalization of Euro-Atlantic and European integration
continued along with thorough socio-political reforms and the establishment of
a democratic political system.
At the same
time, the eastern vector of Polish foreign policy, which, although being of
great importance from the point of view of its national interests and the
success of the European integration component, partly depended on the
implementation of its tasks, nevertheless remained in secondary roles not only
in the context of joining NATO and the European Union, but also in comparison
with relations with the USA, the Weimar Triangle, and the partners of the Republic
of Poland from the Visegrád Group. It is also stated that the formation of a
zone of stability and security in this region, the development of trade and
economic ties, the solving of the problems of cross-border cooperation and
crossing of borders by citizens, as well as ensuring the rights of the Polish
minority, etc., became important components of Polish policy on the eastern
borders.
Right-centrist
forces, which passed to the parliament of the 3rd cadence, believed
in the need to preserve the independence of Ukraine for the sake of security of
Poland, and, at the same time, emphasized the inadmissibility of Russia’s
attempts to restore the sphere of its influence after the collapse of the USSR.
In their view, after joining NATO and getting closer to the EU, Poland
was meant to establish democratic standards in its eastern neighbors and act as
an advocate for states in the East in their desire to become members of these
organizations. Meanwhile, left-wing political forces mostly emphasized the need
to establish equal good-neighborly relations with all eastern neighbors. In
particular, left-centrists believed that despite political differences in
Polish-Russian relations, ridding the Polish political elite of ideological and
historical stereotypes, as well as focusing their efforts on the expansion of
trade, economic, and cultural ties between the two states, would be the key to
partnership.
