'Russia divides Georgia', writes GAZETA WYBORCZA in a frontpage headline.
Press reviewed by Slawek Szefs
The Kremlin has ignored all warnings coming from the West and officially acknowledged the inependece of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This is simply an imperial partition of Georgia, comments the daily. It quotes Russian president Dmitryi Medvedev stressing his country is not afraid of a new cold war in East-West relations. A similar tone of observations is carried by all the major Polish newspapers.
DZIENNIK has an interview with the Polish foreign minister on Warsaw's role and policy plan with regard to developments stemming from the Russian-Georgian conflict. Radoslaw Sikorski confirms Poland's continuous support for Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity. He observes that the situation is very dynamic, but hopes for a joint EU effort to solve the crisis. He points to the leading role Poland should play in this diplomatic process, but not as a trouble maker. Minister Sikorski notes that Europe is ten times wealthier than Russia. If we add the United States to that, the proportion would be double. I would prefer to see Russia cooperating with the West, because confrontation would mean its defeat, says the head of Polish diplomacy.
RZECZPOSPOLITA draws attention to a worrying economic prognosis for Europe, which could also entail visible slowdown in Poland. The looming possibility of economic recession in Germany is also bad news for Polish companies. Poland's western neighbor is its biggest trade partner, so there is no way of avoiding a radiating effect of negative phenomena encounterred just across the border. This may be further compounded by already existing problems, for instance Poland's falling competitiveness on the European market due to relatively high production cost factors, warns a producer federation expert interviewed by the paper.
After its Tuesday publication of a personal confession by one of the younger lady MPs on being pregnant with a party colleague from parliament, SUPER EXPRESS found out the information has electrified vacationing House members and evoked quite a few sharp reactions. However, most MPs had been totally unaware of the chemistry of feelings between the two left wing representatives and upon discovering the news expressed their best wishes for the future mum. But the happy father-to-be is already married and with two kids, stormed the critics. The good news, writes the tabloid, is that parliament remains traditionally divided on all isuues, even during summer recess. So, matters will continue with unabated heat at the first session in September.