Europe is safe when Berlin and Warsaw respect each other and work together, Poland’s president has said.

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks at the "Poland and Germany in Europe" conference in Warsaw. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

Speaking at a conference in Warsaw, Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday that Polish-German relations were an important element of the European order.

He added that lessons learned from the two neighbouring countries' troubled history over the past century or so were "difficult, but also inspiring."

Visting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also attended the Warsaw conference, which focused on Polish-German relations and the two countries' partnership within the European Union.

"Europe, with Poland and Germany in it, is safe only when Berlin and Warsaw recognise and respect each other and are able to cooperate," Duda told the gathering, as quoted by Poland's PAP news agency.

The "Poland and Germany in Europe" conference was held at the Polish capital's Royal Castle as part of observances of this year’s 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence.

The conference followed talks between the two presidents.

Duda on Tuesday thanked his German counterpart for being the first leader to visit Warsaw to mark the centenary of Poland recovering its sovereignty.

Steinmeier on Tuesday started a two-day visit to Poland for talks on relations between the two neighbouring nations.

Poland regained its independence on November 11, 1918, the day World War I ended, after 123 years of foreign rule.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP