A "new chapter" has been opened in German-Polish relations, dpa quoted German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as saying after meeting his new Polish counterpart, Radoslaw Sikorski, in Berlin Thursday. Steinmeier said discussions were underway on reopening regular German-Polish government consultations in the months ahead. Sikorski, appointed after elections in October were won by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, said relations with Germany would in future be conducted in an open way aimed at raising mutual confidence. He nevertheless expressed continuing Polish concern about plans for a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea to link Russia and Germany directly. Relations between the two neighbours plummeted during the two years in office of former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of President Lech Kaczynski.
