Minister Rau took part in the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels
06.04.2023
On April 4-5, 2023, Minister Zbigniew Rau took part in the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the North Atlantic Alliance. The main topic of the ministers' talks was the reaction to the war waged by Russia against Ukraine and the preparations for the July NATO Summit in Vilnius.
On the sidelines of the meeting, a ceremony was held to welcome Finland as the 31st member of the North Atlantic Alliance. At the same time, the Ministers celebrated the 74th anniversary of signing the Washington Treaty establishing the Alliance on 4 April.
The first item on the ministers’ agenda was a session of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, attended by the head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kuleba. Minister Rau emphasized Poland's unwavering support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. He presented the scale of Polish aid to Ukraine and appealed for continued support from all Allies.
During the discussion at 31 with the participation of the invitee Sweden, Minister Rau emphasized the need to maintain Allied unity and pointed to the need to prioritize strengthening deterrence and defense capabilities as a response to the threat posed by Russia to the entire Euro-Atlantic area. He also pointed to the need for Allies to increase defence spending and investments in capabilities ensuring NATO security. He reminded that Polish defence spending will exceed 4% of GDP in 2023.
NATO foreign ministers also held consultations with representatives of four partner countries from the Indo-Pacific region, i.e. Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand, as well as with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell. They discussed the possibilities of a joint response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and other challenges related to changes in the global security architecture, including the growing position of China. Allies agreed on the need to further develop cooperation with partners in order to effectively defend common values and principles of international law.
On the sidelines of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Minister Zbigniew Rau held a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi. The ministers discussed the current state of bilateral relations and cooperation to further support Ukraine.
Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson
Photo: Marek Sadowski/ MFA
