On Friday, 22 January 2021, Minister Zbigniew Rau attended an informal meeting of the UN Security Council on media freedom in Belarus.

The talks between Minister Rau and his Chinese counterpart focused on plans to boost the two countries’ bilateral and multilateral cooperation in 2021. Minister Rau sought a further opening-up of the Chinese market to Polish manufacturers and investors.

On 22 January 2021, Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński took part in a teleconference with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, attended by representatives of foreign ministries of the EU member states, as well as Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

Poland is deeply concerned with the news of the massacre of civilians, which was supposed to take place at the end of last year in front of the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum in the Ethiopian province of Tigray.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its disappointment with regard to the Russian Federation MFA’s announcement on the beginning of domestic procedures for the withdrawal from the Treaty on Open Skies. The Treaty has remained a significant element of the European security architecture, contributing to building confidence and transparency with regard to military activity.

Poland welcomes the announcement of elections in Palestine by President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Monday talks between the chief of Polish diplomacy and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy served to present Poland’s viewpoint on the most important issues related to the EU external policy, particularly transatlantic ties and the EU Eastern Partnership.

On 14 January, a videoconference was held under the Polish presidency of the Visegrad Group (V4), which gathered deputy foreign ministers of Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Great Britain.

The Thursday talks were intended to highlight the importance of Poland’s relations with that part of the world and present the priorities of Poland’s foreign policy. The participants exchanged their views on the key events and trends in international politics, as well as on the recent developments in the region.