During the discussion, Minister Rau pointed to the continued repression against the Belarusian society, which calls for the EU’s proper response. At the same time, the chief of Polish diplomacy stressed that “a clear signal of support for the aspirations of civil society will be the European Commission’s presentation of the plan of economic support for a democratic Belarus” which we expect to take place soon.

 

In the context of preparations for a discussion of heads of state and government on 25 May 2021, Minister Rau highlighted that the EU needs to pursue an adequate policy towards Russia. The head of the Polish MFA expressed his solidarity with Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, and stressed the need to maintain the EU’s unity in the face of the ongoing diplomatic crisis. He also pointed to the continued repression against civil society. Minister Rau stressed that in the situation of the continued military threat on the Ukrainian border, the EU must have ready-to-use tools to act in case Russia escalates tensions.

 

In a discussion on the Western Balkans, the chief of Polish diplomacy underlined that the primary objective of the EU’s policy should be accession of all the Western Balkan countries. “We ought to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia as soon as possible. This will ensure the credibility of the EU’s enlargement policy which serves as a key element encouraging candidate countries to carry out reforms,” he noted. Referring to the Visegrad Group foreign ministers’ meeting with the Western Balkans, to be organised by Poland in June, the head of Polish diplomacy pointed that the EU and its member states need to enhance their political engagement in the region.

 

Speaking about transatlantic relations, Minister Rau expressed satisfaction with the EU’s tight cooperation with the US new administration, especially in such fields as climate, multilateralism, and promotion of democracy. The minister welcomed the US strong engagement in Eastern Europe’s security, highlighting that the EU should work closely together with the US and NATO in this area. “The EU-US summit planned for June should outline the agenda for further intensification of dialogue on international and bilateral issues.”

 

Talking to John Kerry, the head of Polish diplomacy noted that the US new reduction target, unveiled at the recent climate summit, introduced a new dynamics of diplomatic efforts in this area. The Polish top diplomat expressed conviction that using a positive narrative in shared EU-US efforts, which would indicate the benefits of carrying out just transformation, will encourage the biggest global emitters to set more ambitious goals to reduce their emissions. Minister Rau stressed that Poland is currently one of the biggest producers of hydrogen in Europe. “We see great potential for cooperation with the United States in this area, for instance as part of the Three Seas Initiative”.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo: EU Council, Tymon Markowski / MFA