Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Polish counterpart Aleksander Kwasniewski agreed during their telephone conversation Friday that bilateral relations need to be improved following attacks in Warsaw and Moscow on their nationals.

"The focus of the conversation was the current state of Russian-Polish relations in the context of recent incidents in Warsaw and Moscow," the Russian presidential press service said.

Three Polish nationals -- two embassy employees and a journalist -- were beaten up by unidentified attackers in Moscow this week, prompting an outcry from Warsaw for punishment of the attackers and heightened security to protect its nationals in Russia.

"It was noted in the conversation that while the criminal background of these incidents is obvious, they cannot be viewed separately from the generally unfavorable political atmosphere between the two countries," it said.

The two presidents agreed the two governments must act to improve the general climate of bilateral relations, the press service said.

The assaults in Moscow followed attacks on Russian nationals in Warsaw, where unidentified attackers beat up three sons of Russian diplomats and grabbed their mobile phones on July 31.

Russia demanded an apology, citing anti-Russian sentiment in Poland. The Polish Foreign Ministry expressed regret and stopped short of an apology, saying the attack was not politically motivated.
 
(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2005)