Mrs. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the Defence Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany was a special guest of a discussion: ‘Challenges for European Security and Defence.’ The event was organized by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation (CPF) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). The event was part of the “Road to Warsaw Security Forum 2020” discussion series.
On July 15, 2020, the Casimir Pulaski Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation hosted an informal meeting of Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer with 35 Polish civil society representatives. The gathering started with short welcoming remarks delivered by Mr. Zbigniew Pisarski, Chairman of CPF, and Dr. Angelika Klein, Director of KAS Poland.
Mrs. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (often known simply by her initials, AKK) started with an intervention on the challenges for European security and defense. The Minister focused her speech on the ways to address the global COVID-19 pandemic, producing joint security responses to Russia and China, and the necessity to live up to core European values. Moreover, AKK mentioned the importance of regional integration in order to strengthen the European pillar in NATO.
After the lecture, the German Minister answered the audience’s questions on the Polish-German relations, China, Turkey, relocation of the American troops from Germany, cyber-security, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Katarzyna Pisarska, Program Director of the Warsaw Security Forum and Member of the Foundation Board of the CPF.
The meeting with the German Minister of Defense was the first in-person event of the CPF and KAS Poland since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.