Situation beyond the eastern border

Between 30 May and 1 June, Secretary of State Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk visited Bosnia and Herzegovina. The deputy minister, together with Secretary of State at Bosnia and Herzegovina’s MFA Josip Brkić, LOT Polish Airlines’ Vice-President Katarzyna Piskorz, and Managing Director of the Sarajevo airport Alan Bajić, attended the launch of a direct air link between Warsaw and Sarajevo operated by the LOT Polish Airlines.

Today, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau concluded his official two-day visit to Kazakhstan. During his stay in Nur-Sultan, the chief of Polish diplomacy met with Kazakhstan’s highest authorities: President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, chairmen of the two chambers of parliament – Maulen Ashimbayev and Yerlan Koshanov, as well as with Acting Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin. Minister Zbigniew Rau also met with Human Rights Commissioner Elvira Azimova and civil society representatives.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński and other ministers participated in the Polish-Ukrainian intergovernmental consultations. This is yet another manifestation of Poland's unprecedented political support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. At the same time, it is also a symbol of the need to return to normality and traditional bilateral relations. During the meeting of representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian governments, a number of bilateral documents were signed, including those related to the national memory, environmental protection, energy and trade. The delegations also discussed the issue of rebuilding the country. The Polish government explicitly declared support of our companies for the reconstruction of destroyed towns in Ukraine.

Between 31 May and 6 June, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau will travel to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia on another official visit in his capacity as OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, paid a visit to Poland. During the meeting, Minister Rau discussed the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine for the international security architecture, referring to the threat of the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine and the need to provide support to Kyiv also by the OPCW.

More than 2 million refugees from Ukraine have already taken advantage of free travel on PKP Intercity trains. The company continues to support. From June 1, you are still entitled to free travel on national trains. It will apply to connections from stations on the eastern border of Poland. Remember that the trip is always based on a passport or other document confirming the citizenship of Ukraine.

We have created a legal framework to secure the fate of people fleeing war and bombs. For three months, Poles have been helping in solidarity with all those who need it," said Deputy Minister Paweł Szefernaker on Tuesday, 24 May. The event was also attended by Minister of Education and Science Przemysław Czarnek, Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Maląg and Government spokesperson Piotr Müller.

On 24 May 2022, at the invitation of the German side, Minister Zbigniew Rau paid a working visit to Berlin to hold political consultations with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Annalena Baerbock.

On 24 May 2022, the Polish-Romanian consultations on security and defence in the so-called Small Quadriga format took place.

The main topic of the Second Preparatory Meeting of the 30th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum was promoting security and stability through sustainable economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Held on 23-24 May 2022 in Łódź, the event was inaugurated by Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau and OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid.