Russia and Poland have an opportunity to become closer to each other, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is convinced.
"Tragedies often bring people closer to each other. We have gone through various periods in history. The last one was not among the easiest. But in the face of severe losses we can bend efforts to bring the positions of our two countries closer to each other so that our nations would hear each other better and find solutions to the most complex problems," Medvedev said in Krakow where he arrived for the funeral of the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the first lady.
Medvedev described the Katyn tragedy as one of the complex problems in bilateral relations. "Though on our part all the evaluations were made a long time ago. The Katyn tragedy was a crime committed by Stalin and several of henchmen. The attitude of the Russian state to the matter was formulated a long time ago and remains unchanged," he said.
"The tragedy that occurred near Smolensk did not leave anyone indifferent," he said. "For Poland it became a national tragedy. In our country it also aroused very bitter emotions and therefore we declared a day of mourning. Hence I found it right to say my last farewell to Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria," Medvedev said.
"Tragedy always causes pain. Everyone feels that the losses are irreparable," he said. "This has become a special subject for Polish-Raisin relations," he added.
