Kremlin Expects President Putin's Polish Visit To Bring About Dramatic Change For The Better In Bilateral Relations

The Kremlin expects President Putin's maiden official visit to Poland to help Russia and Poland achieve a breakthrough in bilateral relations. It is not a breakthrough in sizes of specific deals that is being expected but in the Polish public and political community's attitude to Russia, a high-ranking Kremlin functionary told RIA Novosti. A Novosti correspondent's Warsaw reports say many of the Polish politicians are pinning similar hopes on the visit. President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland said in his radio interview Tuesday that President Putin's visit may become a turning point in Warsaw-Moscow relations. The Kremlin finds it important that the visit falls on January 17th, the day when the Soviet troops liberated Warsaw from Nazi invaders, and is being made after a 8-year interval. Novosti's interviewee said this would have been impossible under Poland's previous government. Mr Kwasniewski is said to join the Russian president in laying wreaths at the memorial cemetery of Russian warriors and the tomb of the unknown soldier. The Kremlin recalled a helpful atmosphere when arrangements for the visit were made, something which was partially thanks to Mr Kwasniewski and Premier Leszek Miller. Moscow is positive a marked change has been brought about in the Polish public and political elite's opinion about Russia. The country seems to be fed up with anti-Russian sentiments which had aggravated bilateral relations in the past years. The visit is a good chance to improve the "absolutely abnormal situation in bilateral relations which took either an acute or latent form," according to analysts. There was a time when Poland smeared everything related to Russia, persecuted Russian businessmen, demanded unilateral repentance from Moscow, and turned down even the things it stood to gain from. Today, our countries should take advantage of the fact that the Polish people have cast their votes for those who stake on improvement of relations with Russia.