On the first day of his stay in Geneva, the head of Polish MFA held a speech at the High Level Forum of the Conference on Disarmament. “Activities in support of disarmament, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control are indispensable elements of global stabilization and security. Regardless of the current deadlock, the Conference on Disarmament remains the key body set up to initiate and run disarmament negotiations,” underlined the minister. He also stressed that being a member of the Conference on Disarmament, Poland supports the promotion of disarmament, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control. He set the priority on the quick opening of negotiations of the Treaty to prohibit production of fissile material for military purposes (FMCT). The minister also noted that this year’s key event for Poland is the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). “We hope it will break the deadlock that lasts since the last century and will strengthen the Treaty and facilitate its further implementation,” said the head of Polish diplomacy.

Minister Czaputowicz also attended the Ministerial Meeting of the “Alliance for Multilateralism” initiative together with the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Heiko Maas and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic Jean-Ives Le Drian. The Alliance for Multilateralism is an informal forum of countries discussing the strengthening of multilateral mechanisms based on international law. Its purpose is to reflect on the reforms and modernization of international institutions in the areas of international humanitarian law and human rights. “Poland is committed to the promotion of respect for the international law on both national and international level. Respect for the international law, the international humanitarian law in particular, was one of Poland’s top priorities during our membership of the UN Security Council,” declared Minister Czaputowicz during the Alliance session.

During the “Human Rights Situation in Crimea and Ukrainian Hostages of the Kremlin” ministerial panel, Minister Jacek Czaputowicz took part in a discussion with the foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine on the situation in Crimea. “Poland is deeply concerned with the human rights situation in Crimea and the repressive policy of the occupying Russian administration,” said the top Polish diplomat. At the same time he underlined his satisfaction with Russia’s decision to free political prisoners held in its territory. “This success of the international community should motivate us to further raise the awareness of instances of international law and human rights violations by the occupying authorities in Crimea,” said the minister.

Minister Czaputowicz also visited the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and met its Director General Fabiola Gianotti as well as Polish scientists working at the Organisation. He thanked Polish scientists for their commitment and underlined that they are the best showpieces of Poland available abroad and contribute to building our positive image across the world. The minister also encouraged them to apply for managerial positions at CERN, which already hosts around three hundred Polish employees and interns. He also expressed hope that the experience they gain at CERN will translate into stronger national research potential.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo: Sebastian Indra / MFA