WARSAW, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Polish President Andrzej Duda and his visiting German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday celebrated a 1991 cooperation treaty and lauded mutual ties.
Steinmeier's visit came exactly 30 years after the two countries signed the Treaty of Good Neighbourship and Friendly Cooperation, which regulated minority rights in both countries and the promotion of cultural exchange.
Topics of their discussions included the situation in nearby Belarus and Ukraine, the future of the European Union, and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Germany and Russia, which Poland opposes.
Despite differences, both leaders emphasized the historically close ties between the two nations.
During a joint press conference, Duda said the 1991 treaty has had an enormous effect on bilateral relations.
"There is de facto no longer any border between Poland and Germany," he said. "Today many mutual businesses are active on either side of the border. There are petrol stations managed by a large Polish company in Germany, and that the largest German corporations have their branches and production plants in Poland. As a result, many Polish families are making a living thanks to Polish-German cooperation."
Duda also called for Germany to help retrieve valuable arts robbed from Poland during World War II -- to the tune of over half a million pieces, according to the Polish president.
Steinmeier said that the last 30 years followed centuries of often turbulent history between the two nations.
"The neighbourship of Poland and Germany is one of the great historic successes of Europe in the last 30 years," the German president said. "Good neighbourship has never been a given. We succeeded because we listened to one another and strived for the best." Enditem