(de-news.net) – In Berlin, high-level German-Polish government negotiations are presently being held under the supervision of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The summit is designed to broaden and consolidate the bilateral partnership between the two countries, with particular emphasis placed on security and military policy, economic cooperation, and continued support for Ukraine. Merz underscored the significance of intensifying collaboration with Poland, presenting it as an indispensable and equal partner for the achievement of a secure, free, and prosperous Europe. He stressed that Germany’s historical experience, especially the lessons drawn from the Second World War, required a firm and lasting alignment with Poland in order to safeguard stability across the continent.
The Chancellor identified three principal areas of cooperation. First, he announced plans to strengthen joint security and defence initiatives, including enhanced collaboration in the field of drone defence and other modern military technologies. In the context of sustaining support for Kyiv, both leaders coordinated their positions through consultations with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom, President Emmanuel Macron of France, and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
Second, Merz emphasized the importance of infrastructure connectivity, highlighting the modernization of cross-border railway links and the expansion of road border crossings. These measures, he argued, should not remain abstract projects but should be reflected in the daily lives of citizens, thereby fostering tangible improvements in mobility and economic exchange.
Third, Merz referred to remembrance as a shared responsibility, insisting that the painful aspects of historical memory must be preserved. Such remembrance, he maintained, should serve as a force for unity rather than division, bringing Germany and Poland closer together through acknowledgment of the past.
In addition to these political and strategic discussions, cultural cooperation was also advanced. Minister of State for Culture Claudia Weimer formally transferred cultural assets to her Polish counterpart Marta Cienkowska. The restitution includes 73 historic parchments of the Teutonic Order from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation’s Secret State Archives, as well as a statue fragment from Gdańsk depicting the head of Saint James the Elder. These documents, some dating back as far as 800 years, had originally been handed over to the Kingdom of Poland in 1525 by the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, who became the first Duke of Prussia. However, during the Wehrmacht’s occupation in 1941, they were removed from the Warsaw Main Archive and brought to Germany. Their return is seen as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation, peacemaking, and renewed cross-cultural collaboration, underscoring the commitment of both nations to cope with their shared history while building a cooperative future.