During the first session on the current situation in Afghanistan, Minister Rau briefed his counterparts on Poland’s evacuation effort, which brought 1,232 people out of the country and offered 45 humanitarian visas to former staff members of the EU Delegation and the ECHO Office (Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations) in Kabul as well as to their families. The Polish foreign minister said he supports active EU measures to ensure that the Taliban respect human rights standards, including those related to women’s and minorities’ rights. He also backed the idea of partnering with the region’s countries in order to support them on migration, countering terrorism, and protecting borders. Minister Rau emphasised that with the Taliban in power and the allied armies withdrawn from Afghanistan, a whole new geopolitical architecture has emerged in Central and Eastern Asia.

When discussing EU-China relations, the ministers reiterated that they include elements of partnership, competition, and systemic rivalry. Minister Rau underscored that it is essential to strengthen both transatlantic dialogue and dialogue with partners in Asia and Oceania, particularly India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. In EU-China trade relations, it is necessary to ensure that Beijing respects the reciprocity principle and equal opportunities as regards market access.

In a meeting with the chief of Indian diplomacy, Minister Rau expressed his support for strengthening the EU-India strategic partnership, particularly the implementation of the recently concluded EU-India connectivity partnership. Referring to the March discussion of EU and India leaders in Porto, he welcomed the decision to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement and an investment protection agreement. The ministers furthermore raised the impact of developments in Afghanistan on the region’s security, including that of India.

Commenting on migration pressure at the border with Belarus, the chief of Polish diplomacy stressed that the current crisis was created artificially by Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. He appreciated the European Commission’s unequivocal position and the solidarity shown by EU institutions and member states in their political and operational support. Minister Zbigniew Rau also pointed to the continued repression against civil society in Belarus, including the Polish minority there.

MFA Press Office

Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA