During the discussion on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Minister Rau emphasised that the only way to put an end to the war is for Ukraine to win, which is why further supplies of military equipment, including air defence systems, are necessary. The top Polish diplomat expressed his expectation for a swift release of the sixth tranche of the assistance measure to finance the provision of weapons under the European Peace Facility and for an immediate launch of the EU military assistance mission to support Ukraine, whose multinational operational headquarters will be stationed in Poland. Minister Rau also spoke in favour of a prompt adoption of another, the ninth, package of sanctions in which the previous measures will be extended, strengthened and made tighter. In particular this should apply to the transfer of Western technologies to Russia and the field of energy and finances. 

Minister Zbigniew Rau stressed that in its decision-making process, the EU should take into consideration the efforts Kyiv has put in implementing priority reforms that the European Commission indicated in June in its opinion on Ukraine’s application for accession. At the same time he noted that Ukraine’s reconstruction will have to be closely coordinated with the reform programme required for EU membership. The head of the Polish MFA expressed his belief that the EU should stand ready to pursue a long-term deterrence policy, to hold Russia back, and to achieve a full political, economic and energy independence of Russia.

During a discussion on the EU’s relations with the Great African Lakes region, Minister Rau expressed concern at the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He underlined that it is necessary to support Kinshasa’s security forces and efforts towards a peaceful solution to the conflict. The head of Polish diplomacy spoke in favour of the initiative to develop the EU’s new strategy for the Great African Lakes region which would more realistically combine the EU’s support with the involvement in actions leading to concrete results that the EU expects of the region’s countries.

During the panel devoted to the EU’s relations with the Western Balkan states, the top Polish diplomat stressed the need to support the region’s countries in combating the negative effects of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, such as threats to energy and food security, political destabilisation, disinformation and cyberattacks against state critical infrastructure. The minister emphasised the importance of the EU enlargement process as the most effective tool in increasing the stability and security of not only the Western Balkan region but also the EU as a whole.  He stressed that the full alignment of the applicant countries to the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy is a touchstone of their commitment to shared European values. He also noted that the reform efforts of the region’s countries should be rewarded. In this context Poland supports initiating the visa liberalisation with Kosovo and granting Bosnia and Herzegovina the EU candidate status, in line with the Commission’s recommendation issued in October 2022.

During a meeting with the leader of Belarusian opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the head of the Polish MFA stressed her role in building democracy in Belarus and in garnering support for the Belarusian cause at international fora. He praised the stance taken by Belarusian opposition on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and declared that support for Belarusian civil society will remain a priority for Poland.

 

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Press Spokesperson

 

Photos: Sebastian Indra / MFA