On 28-29 October, the deputy head of Polish diplomacy held a number of meetings in Geneva to discuss the crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border. He focused on possible ways to solve the crisis and provide humanitarian aid to irregular migrants on the territory of Belarus.

On Thursday, 28 October 2021, the military airfield in Warsaw witnessed a ceremonious dispatch of a humanitarian transport to Romania. The event was attended by representatives of institutions involved in preparing the transport, namely, Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, Deputy Minister of Health Waldemar Kraska, President of the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves Michał Kuczmierowski, and Col. Konrad Korpowski, Head of the Government Centre for Security.

“We believe that our joint actions should first of all centre around solving global challenges we are all facing such as climate change mitigation, migration flows, progress in sustainable development, and poverty reduction, as well as combating terrorism,” said Deputy Minister Marcin Przydacz in his address during the EU-AU ministerial meeting in Kigali on 25 October 2021.

On 27 October 2021, Secretary of State Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk attended – in place of Minister Zbigniew Rau – a meeting of the Bucharest Nine (B9) top diplomats. Estonia, the host of this year’s meeting, also invited high-ranking representatives of the US Department of State and NATO Headquarters to take part in the event.

In response to Tunisia’s growing demand for medical and personal protective equipment necessary to fight against Covid-19, Poland provided it with corresponding humanitarian aid. The shipment comprised 78 ventilators, 50 cardiac monitors, and 500 pulse oximeters.

On 25-26 October 2021, MFA’s Secretary of State Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk visited Athens. At the beginning, he held political consultations with Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs of the Hellenic Republic Miltiadis Varvitsiotis. The officials discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on current migration-related challenges, EU’s eastern neighbourhood, enlargement policy and the future of Europe.

On 21-24 October, Head of the Foreign Service Arkady Rzegocki was in Rome on an official visit. The aim of the visit was to talk to heads of HR departments at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as well as to representatives of Italian and Vatican diplomacies about diplomat training programmes and related areas of potential cooperation.

In response to Iran’s needs, Poland handed over 1 million COVID-19 vaccines. This donation is a token of vaccine solidarity with Iranians, with whom Poland has enjoyed centuries of good relations.

An amendment to the Regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration of 13 March 2021 on temporary suspension or restriction of border traffic at certain border crossing points (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 435, as amended, hereinafter “MSWiA Regulation”) is coming into force on 16 October 2021.