Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau takes part in Foreign Affairs Council session and Eastern Partnership ministerial meeting in Brussels
16.11.2021
The Monday session of the Foreign Affairs Council focused on such topics as the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, EU’s involvement in the Western Balkans and Sahel regions, as well as work on the Strategic Compass for Common Security and Defence Policy (conducted at a joint session of foreign affairs and defence ministers).
Minister Zbigniew Rau thanked for the support provided by European partners to Poland, as well as to Lithuania and Latvia, in connection with actions taken by Belarus on the eastern border of the EU. He stressed that the hybrid attack organised by Belarus is an unprecedented circumstance and that there exists a real risk of the conflict escalating. Mr Rau further emphasized the need to intensify the dialogue between the EU and its Member States and the North African and Middle Eastern countries of origin and transit of migrants to block the migrants’ inflow to Belarus. He also recalled the situation in Belarus itself, where there are more than 800 political prisoners as of today, including Angelika Borys and Andrzej Poczobut. As a result of the discussion, the ministers agreed that it was necessary to adopt the fifth round of sanctions against Belarus as soon as possible.
With regard to the situation in the Western Balkans, Minister Rau emphasized that to build up its global position, the EU must be able to positively influence the situation in its immediate neighbourhood. He expressed his support for a stronger commitment to political dialogue and the inclusion of the Balkan region countries in EU programmes and policies that will bring tangible benefits to their citizens. Furthermore, he called for the revival of accession negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro, as well as for the initiation of such negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia to be unblocked.
Referring to the situation in the Sahel, Minister Rau pointed to the need to maintain EU support for the region’s countries while also emphasizing their own responsibility in terms of combating terrorism. He voiced concerns at the possible presence of the Wagner Group in Mali, given that the Group’s activities in other parts of Africa and the Middle East have worsened the security situation, as well as expressed his support for EU actions aimed at counteracting this.
During the discussion on the Strategic Compass, Minister Rau called for full transparency and taking into account the voices of Member States during the Compass’ development. Mr Rau stressed that Poland deems the objectives set out in the draft Common Security and Defence Policy to be adequate; however, he also stated that the EU must consider other commitments of its Member States to avoid problems with achieving the Policy’s ambitious aims. He also emphasized the importance of bolstering the EU’s partnerships with other parties – particularly NATO. Furthermore, Minister Rau expressed his satisfaction with the threats resulting from disinformation campaigns against the EU being taken into account, as well as the declaration of further work on mechanisms to counter hybrid attacks.
The meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union and the Eastern Partnership served to discuss the most important issues in cooperation between the EU and the EaP region countries prior to the next EaP summit scheduled for 15 December this year. During the discussions, the ministers stressed the importance of the European Union’s assistance in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences.
Minister Rau stressed that it is in Poland’s best interest to integrate EaP countries with the EU as closely as possible. He also expressed the expectation that the European Union should send a strong political signal about actions aimed at bringing the partner countries closer at the December summit. “We should support the European aspirations of the more committed partner countries and their gradual approach towards the EU Common Market while also emphasizing the unity of the Eastern Partnership. Poland welcomed the initiative of closer cooperation between Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine”, said Minister Rau.
The head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the importance of sectoral cooperation bringing results visible to ordinary citizens, as well as providing support for young people. He also pointed to the importance of strengthening the partners’ resilience to both foreign and domestic threats in the light of the events taking place in the region. “The key issue in the coming years will be to strengthen the security dimension within the Eastern Partnership”, said Minister Rau.
Referring to the decision of the Belarusian authorities to suspend Belarus’ participation in the work of the Eastern Partnership, Mr Rau emphasized the need to maintain contact and cooperation with the Belarusian society.
Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson