Problem polskiej polityki zagranicznej wobec państw wschodnich w początkach lat dziewięćdziesiątych XX wieku na łamach prasy katolickiej

Abstract

Polish foreign policy towards eastern countries in the early 90ies in the catholic press

In view of the crucial events, which had taken place in East Central Europę in the early nineties of the twentieth century, many comments relatingto Polish eastern policy occurred in the catholic press. Most attention was paid to relations that have been built up between Poland and its nearest neighbors behind eastern border. Facing the political transformations in the Soviet Union after 1989, Polish diplomacy announced a double strategy towards the East. It was a strategy of maintaining parallel relations with Moscow and the former Soviet republics. Cautious policy towards the East was being judged in the Catholic press in a positive way. Voices of criticism appeared only after disintegration of the Soviet Union. The critics accused Polish diplomacy of paying more attention to western policy than to eastern affairs. The case of breakingthe dependence from greatestneighbor in the east, withdrawal of the soviet army from Poland, dependency on Moscow’s policy towards entering the NATO, were the most commented issues in relations with Russia. The main problems stressed in the relations with new neighbors in the east were: the recognition of independence of Ukrainę and Belarus, the question of the national minorities, the historical events which made itdifficultto establish friendly relations. In the catholic press there were also visible the comments of a role of the catholic and orthodox churches in the rela­tions between Poland and the east, as well as the situation of the catholic church in the eastern republics.