RUSSIA: POLISH PRESIDENT KWASNIEWSKI VISIT

(10 Jul 2000) Russian/Nat The Polish and Russian presidents on Monday made a joint call for a new chapter to be opened in the troubled Russian-Polish relations and expanding economic cooperation. The statement came during a one-day visit to the Kremlin by Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. Talks between Kwasniewski and Russia's leader Vladimir Putin focused on reviving trade and political ties between the one-time Warsaw Pact allies. Political and economic relations between Russia and Poland cooled markedly after Poland shed communist rule in 1989. They deteriorated further last year when Poland, a former Warsaw Pact member, joined NATO. Matters worsened in January when Poland expelled nine Russian diplomats accused of spying. Moscow responded by expelling nine Polish envoys. Trade between the two countries has suffered as a consequence. Polish exports to Russia fell 26 percent after Russia's 1998 economic crisis, and slid 14.7 percent more last year. Currently, the country has a 2 (b) billion U-S dollar trade deficit with Russia. After meeting with Putin, Kwasniewski visited the Polish embassy in Moscow, where he presented awards to Russian Interior Ministry officers who freed two Polish women from Chechen captivity in March 2000. The two women were kidnapped in Dagestan and held in Chechnya for eight months. At a press conference later, Kwasniewski gave his backing to Russia's proposal for a European security system, before leaving for Warsaw at the end of the day. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) “We are sure that relations between two states will develop in a positive manner. And it will serve to ameliorate relations between Russia and Poland, it will draw the line under what has been on the way for Russia and Poland to positively develop relations between two states and will open the path to the future.“ SUPER CAPTION: Vladimir Putin, Russian President SOUNDBITE: (Polish) “For us the creation of European as well as an international security is crucial. And we consider that Russia takes an important role in creating this security system.“ SUPER CAPTION: Aleksander Kwasniewski, Polish President Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: