Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau visits the US
05.02.2022
Minister Zbigniew Rau concluded a three-day visit to the United States. While in Washington, D.C., he held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council Kurt Campbell. The head of Polish diplomacy also held a series of meetings at the US Congress. He met with senators James Risch and Ted Cruz as well as with representatives of the Poland Caucus of the US Congress Marcy Kaptur and Michael McCaul. During a public hearing at the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Minister Rau – the current Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – presented the priorities of Poland’s 2022 OSCE chairmanship.
The main topic of talks with US Secretary of State was the present security situation in Europe and coordination of allies’ efforts as part of NATO, the EU, and the OSCE. The participants discussed the steps taken recently by the international community to seek a solution to tensions around Ukraine caused by Russia’s escalation of the situation. They also talked about measures which will follow in the coming days.
When talking to representatives of the US administration, Minister Rau, as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, stressed the importance of close and continued coordination of positions of the international community as regards the discussion on European security. “We need unity and respect for international law as a way to ensure the international community its coexistence, free from violence and threats,” said the head of the Polish MFA. The top Polish diplomat also discussed cooperation in energy security. During his talks at the US Department of State, he also emphasised issues related to Nord Stream 2 and the Three Seas Initiative.
On Friday, 4 February 2022, Minister Rau and Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the US Audra Plepytė, US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzeziński, and with the participation of a representative of the Belarusian opposition Alesya Semukha-Greenberg, laid flowers at the monument to Tadeusz Kościuszko. On the last day of his stay in the US, Minister Rau visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum and laid flowers on Jan Karski’s grave.
Łukasz Jasina
MFA Press Spokesperson
Photo: Sebastain Indra / MFA
