The Polish foreign minister delivered the opening lecture of the Copernican Debate at Toruń University.

'Even though so ideologically and culturally diverse, Europe is a single organism', he said. 'That is why every country in its foreign policy has to consider the different developments from a regional as well as a global perspective.'

He pointed out that an important factor shaping international relations today is a deficit of confidence between institutions and states, exacerbated by the economic crisis.

'We won't build global peace without mutual confidence', explained Mr Sikorski. 'As recent years have shown, not all countries are ready for that. The 9/11 attacks were symptomatic insofar that they showed that even the world's greatest power cannot feel totally safe. Last year, Russia surprised us when it used force against Georgia. That's why we need to hammer out new terms of international cooperation and confidence.'

Speaking about the Nato's future, Mr Sikorski said that Poland wants the Alliance to prepare itself for new challenges: terrorism, ecological considerations, or the admission of further members, e.g. Russia.

'We need Russia to address European and global issues. That's why its accession to the Nato would make sense. It would force Russia not only to democratise its political system, but also to introduce civilian control of the armed forces and to appease its border conflicts.'

Speaking to Gazeta after the lecture, Mr Sikorski explained, 'I stand by everything I said, but that doesn't mean I'm inviting Russia to join the Nato. I simply presented a certain hypothetical vision, a reference to a debate that took place in the Nato in the mid-1990s. Then, under the Clinton administration, there was a debate on whether, and on what terms, Russia could become a member of the Alliance.'

Mr Sikorski believes the Nato applies an 'open door' policy to all countries that could potentially aspire to membership in it.

'If we treat this principle seriously, we cannot by definition exclude a country from membership. We are interested in Russia's democratisation, in seeing it become a fully credible partner, its attitude towards its neighbours change. That would mean greater security for Poland and the whole world.'

But, the foreign minister stressed, Russia does not presently meet the conditions of Nato membership and has not sent any signals lately it would like to join.

Mr Sikorski is tipped among the candidates for the post of the Nato secretary general. Some observers believe his chances are slim because, among other things, of his alleged anti-Russian bias. Last year, in the wake of Russia's invasion of Georgia, he formulated the 'Sikorski doctrine', which called for the Nato to react adequately to any violation of borders in Europe or its close vicinity.

Translated by Marcin Wawrzyńczak

Źródło: Gazeta Wyborcza