Poland Having High Hopes For Russian President's Visit

Poland hopes that the Russian president's visit to that country in mid-January will promote bilateral relations both in the political and cultural spheres, the Moscow Polish cultural centre's director Marek Zelinski said Monday at a RIA Novosti press-conference. In his opinion, there is evidence of the Russians' mounting interest in Poland, which results from the current state of affairs between the two countries, their similar cultures, their uniform Slavic roots, and their long-standing historical links. The decade-long cool lull in the once active Russian-Polish political dialogue has told negatively on cultural ties as well. Mr. Zelinsli believes that the recently invigorated mutual contacts--the visits of the Polish president to Russia, the Russian prime minister's trip to Poland, the Polish scientific festival in Moscow, and many others--are certain to step up cooperation.