The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland informs that the event to celebrate Iran’s national holiday on 9 February 2023 was attended by representatives of, among others, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Norway, Japan, South Korea, the Apostolic Nuncio, and all United Nations agencies present in Tehran. Contrary to media reports, no decision was made at European Union level to boycott the celebrations of Iran’s national holiday.

During the last meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on 23 January 2023, Poland, like the other EU member states, called on the Iranian authorities to cease repression and arbitrary detention, and to release all detained persons. The FAC January session also saw the adoption of another round of sanctions against Iran for human rights violations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also draws attention to Poland’s negative assessment of the situation in and around Iran, as well as the country’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Poland has voiced this negative assessment by voting at international fora, including as member of the UN Human Rights Council during the vote on the Council resolution on 24 November 2022. The adopted resolution established an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran. Poland was among the co-sponsors of this resolution.

Prior to that measure, Poland also supported initiatives related to the situation of human rights in Iran. During the 49th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2022, Poland, together with other EU states, voted in favour of a resolution re-establishing the mandate of a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and presented the same position when the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee discussed a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran in November 2022.

 

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson