Poland and Greece have close political ties, including as part of the North Atlantic Alliance, the European Union, and the United Nations. Greece is one of top holiday destinations for Poles. There is a great potential for growth in trade due to cooperation in the maritime and tourist sectors in Greece on the one hand, and shipbuilding, construction, and furniture industries in Poland on the other hand. An important part of Polish-Greek relations are cultural and scientific matters, as evidenced by the opening of the Polish Archeological Institute at Athens in October 2021.

The foreign ministers of Poland and Greece talked about a number of issues on the current international agenda. The talks were dominated by a discussion on the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The heads of Polish and Greek diplomacy strongly condemned the illegal acts of “recognition of independence” and “annexation” to the Russian Federation of regions it occupies in Ukraine. The Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia remain parts of Ukraine under international law. The Republic of Poland and the Hellenic Republic recognize neither the pseudo-referendums carried out in these areas on 23-27 September 2022, nor the decrees of the Russian president on the annexation of these regions announced on 29 and 30 September this year.

“Greece has been helping Ukraine in many ways, which deserves our appreciation. We know how much the Greek diaspora in Ukraine has suffered due to the Russian military action which we strongly condemn, and we know how much the Greek government supported this community,” stated Minister Zbigniew Rau. The ministers also spoke about the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as the challenges of the Polish chairmanship of the OSCE.

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson