- Poland is strongly committed to protection of persons with disabilities, an example of which are projects implemented under Polish humanitarian aid, - said the head of Polish diplomacy at the opening of the UN event co-organised by Poland on the sidelines of the Protection of Civilians Week.

On Wednesday, the chief of Polish diplomacy visited the two capitals to discuss bilateral issues, cooperation within the Visegrad Group and the Three Seas Initiative, the recovery from the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the plans to reopen economies with foreign ministers of the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs announces a contest for the best foreign language publication promoting the history of Poland and the best Polish language publication on the history of Polish diplomacy. The contest welcomes works which were published in 2019. Historians can submit their works until 31 August 2020.

“Our help for the Western Balkans confirms the importance that we attach to our relations with the region, a region without which it would be difficult to consider the process of uniting Europe as complete,” Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said at a ceremony to launch a humanitarian convoy to six Western Balkan states – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia – which took place in Warsaw on 26 May. “’Solidarity’ is the key word to describe the entire development policy underlying the MFA’s humanitarian assistance programmes. For forty years, this word has been a value that Poland is associated with,” Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński said during the meeting. He added: “Poland does not forget about its neighbours and about other states that are in need of help.”

Minister Jacek Czaputowicz talked on the phone with his Spanish counterpart Minister Arancha González Laya. The ministers discussed the current state of the coronavirus pandemic, prospects for opening borders and easing restrictions in both countries, as well as coordination of new measures at European level.

Over the years, the Treaty on Open Skies has remained an important element of the European security architecture, meant to build trust and ensure transparency in relation to military activities. As of late, we have been facing a number of challenges regarding the implementation of the Treaty related to the Russian Federation’s restrictions to access its territory.

At the invitation of Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the chief of Polish diplomacy Jacek Czaputowicz took part in a video conference on the process of opening borders and lifting barriers to the free movement of persons within the EU after the Covid-19 epidemic.

“We are willing to consolidate multidimensional cooperation within the Council of the Baltic Sea States and other regional organisations. It can contribute to overcoming the effects of the pandemic and to the much-needed return to growth,” emphasised Minister Jacek Czaputowicz during talks with foreign ministers of the Baltic Sea states.

“Today, as we are remembering the 100th birthday anniversary of Pope John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyła, we want to share with the whole world the power of hope which he left for us as his heritage, particularly during these hard times,” said Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk as he initiated the programme to commemorate the achievements of St John Paul II and the Pope himself.