Minister Rau attended NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
30.11.2022
On 29-30 November 2022, the head of Polish diplomacy Zbigniew Rau took part in NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Bucharest. It was the first time when all sessions were also attended by the Foreign Ministers of Finland and Sweden, the two countries invited to join the Alliance.
MInisters discussed Allies’ security and support to Ukraine in face of Moscow’s massive missile attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population and critical infrastructure. The Allies agreed on the need to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence policy taking into account direct implications of Russian aggression for Poland's security, as well as for the entire North Atlantic Alliance. They also expressed solidarity with Poland after the fatal explosion in the village of Przewodów, which claimed the lives of two Polish nationals.
Joined by Ukraine’s top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba, the attendees discussed possibilities to increase practical support to Kyiv. Minister Rau presented the scope and scale of Polish assistance and voiced his support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. In his speech, the head of Polish diplomacy also noted that “the free and stable Ukraine anchored in Western institutions is vital for our security.”
The foreign ministers’ meeting was an opportunity to discuss threats to Allies’ energy security, including critical infrastructure protection, in the face of the upcoming winter.
They also talked about the challenges to the Alliance’s security posed by China’s increasing power and its cooperation with Moscow.
Moreover, NATO’s top diplomats met with their counterparts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Moldova as partners who are particularly exposed to Russia’s destructive interference with their internal affairs. The Allies announced further development of political cooperation as well as practical assistance to enhance resilience of those countries.
Minister Zbigniew Rau also attended the G7+ meeting on the coordination of assistance to Ukraine in the areas of energy security and restoring critical infrastructure.
On the sidelines of the summit, the head of Polish diplomacy held a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Ukraine, the UK, Sweden, Spain, and Iceland. The meetings were an opportunity for an in-depth discussion on supporting Ukraine and developing bilateral cooperation.
Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson
Photo: Marek Sadowski/MFA , NATO Press Service
