Minister Zbigniew Rau and Eli Cohen, the Israeli Minister, had a meeting in Warsaw on March 22nd to talk about the connection between the two countries and various matters that are currently being addressed in the international community. As a result of their discussion, Poland and Israel signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on cooperation in the area of study tours by groups of young people.
Polish minister wants to keep up ties with Israel
Rau stated that he was eager to take Polish-Israeli relations to a higher level based on mutual respect and understanding. He also hoped to continue working on matters that are seen differently by both countries.
The two sides concurred that encouraging more interaction between individuals, particularly youth, is the most effective way to strengthen the ties between Polish and Israeli citizens while extinguishing any prejudiced views.
The Ministers talked about the arrangements for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the visit of Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog to Poland. Additionally, they discussed the current situation in the Middle East, with an emphasis on the growing tension between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Polish government emphasized the importance of global solidarity in the face of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and requested that Russia be held accountable for any illegal acts performed in Ukraine, including war crimes. The Polish foreign minister urged Israel to take more action in lending assistance to Ukraine.
Decisive agreement
At the end of the gathering, the Republic of Poland and the State of Israel inked a pact concerning collaboration concerning educational trips for organized teams of youngsters.
This agreement puts in place more organised regulations for the past thirty years of Israeli youth visits to Poland and allows for potential of Polish students to visit Israel. There is now a mutual exchange of visits between the two countries, creating a balanced relationship.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the agreement will help to weaken mutual stereotypes and deepen people-to-people contact. Poland always believes that having good relations between the youth of both countries, based on facts from history, is the key to creating a peaceful relationship between the two societies.
Israeli Ministry of Education cancels school trips to Poland due to security concerns
In mid-June last year, the Israeli Ministry of Education announced the cancellation of educational trips to Poland for high school students. The Ministry justified its decision because problems had arisen that prevented students from being properly and safely informed while travelling.
According to Poland’s MFA, a return to the previous rules for trips by Jewish youth with the participation of armed Israeli services was not possible.
“We have agreed that the hosting country will be responsible for providing security for Jewish youth in Poland or Polish youth in Israel,”
Rau said.