When speaking about the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the ministers covered the announcements of Turkish drillings in the Greek continental shelf and in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus. Minister Jacek Czaputowicz expressed his solidarity with Greece and Cyprus, and supported mediation efforts undertaken by High Representative Josep Borrell and the German Presidency.  - Turkey remains the EU’s important partner in migration and security issues. We need to solve the discrepancies in EU-Turkey relations through dialogue, - said the Polish foreign policy chief.

When referring to Belarus, Minister Jacek Czaputowicz underlined that the protests attract great numbers of people and are peaceful. He also said: “Right now, the demonstrations have the greatest number of participants since the beginning of protests and are held in most cities. They are peaceful and take the form of ‘living solidarity chains’ and marches. In this situation, the EU must work out a comprehensive offer for Belarus – the EU’s European neighbour whose stability is in the interest of the whole European Community. - Minister Czaputowicz reiterated his call for establishing dialogue between the Belarusian authorities and citizens. The ministers also discussed the possibility to launch a procedure imposing individual sanctions on the people responsible for falsifying election results and unjustified use of force against peaceful protesters.

Minister Czaputowicz urged the EU to lend broad support for the Belarusian civic society in the form of scholarships, visa facilitation regime and help for independent journalists. He highlighted that the EU needs to be ready to mediate between the authorities and the society when the time is right. He also presented a plan to support the Belarusian civic society that was announced by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on 14 August. The Polish government plans to earmark PLN 50 million for the scheme.

High Representative Josep Borrell informed the ministers about the EU’s actions in Lebanon and Venezuela. In Lebanon, the EU lends financial support for victims of the Beirut explosion on 4 August. In Venezuela, it is involved in an attempt to advance agreement between the government and the opposition regarding the December election.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Office

Photo / MFA