The path towards EU membership for the Maltese and Polish governments was difficult and full of sacrifices but it was driven by an inherent sense of "never again" for coming generations to experience a divided Europe, an iron curtain, cities and peoples blocked by walls, President Guido de Marco, said in Warsaw yesterday.
The President is on a two-day state visit to Poland.
Speaking at a dinner in his honour hosted by Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski, Prof. de Marco said that although Malta and Poland established diplomatic relations in 1971, that relationship had remained largely untapped.
"It is for this specific reason that I welcomed in my delegation some leading Maltese entrepreneurs and businessmen. I augur that this visit will provide the needed impetus to spur interest and encourage the business communities of our countries to explore the economic opportunities that exist between Malta and Poland."
Earlier in the morning, Mr Kwasniewski welcomed Prof. de Marco at the presidential palace.
Mr Kwasniewski told a news conference held jointly with Prof. de Marco that their meeting had an added dimension to the further establishment of sound political and bilateral relations between Malta and Poland, especially in view of both countries' negotiations with the EU and the prospective enlargement in 2004.
"Whereas Poland plays an important role in Central-Eastern Europe, Malta is situated in a strategic position of the Mediterranean. Therefore, through our shared experiences, both countries can benefit from the formulation of a common foreign policy which enhances cooperation," he said.
Mr Kwasniewski said that the discussion also centred on Mediterranean affairs and the dialogue which should develop within a Euro-Mediterranean context.
Possibilities of economic and commercial relations in shipbuilding, tourism, and other topics of common interest were also explored.
Prof. de Marco said Malta and Poland could both make important contributions within an enlarged European family.
"We don't believe in a clash of civilizations, but in a future built on encounters. Terrorism has no religion or nationality, it is simply terrorism, and it has to be rejected and fought at all costs," stressed Prof. de Marco.
Malta's role today and in the future, he said, was to bring the Mediterranean dimension closer to Europe.
The President was decorated by Mr Kwasniewski with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, while Prof. de Marco awarded him with Companion of Honour of the National Order of Merit with Collar.
Following his meeting with the Polish president, Prof. de Marco laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
He then addressed a business forum at the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce and met with representatives of the business community. The business forum was also addressed by Economic Services Minister Josef Bonnici.
Mrs de Marco followed a separate programme, which included a visit to a kindergarten school for children with special needs.
Prof. de Marco's visit continues today. He will be meeting Polish prime minister Leszek Miller and foreign affairs minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. The President will also give a lecture at the Warsaw School of Economics.