On 1 July 2024, Poland for the seventh time begins its one-year presidency of the Visegrad Group (V4) under the motto “V4: Back to Basics.” It refers to the foundations of Visegrad cooperation such as freedom, human rights, the rule of law, and commitment to the process of European integration and cooperation for security in Europe.

The Ditchley Annual Lecture is a prestigious annual gathering of British journalists, politicians, analysts, experts, entrepreneurs and members of the diplomatic corps, where a special guest delivers a speech on a topic related to the current international situation. The event is held at a Renaissance mansion formerly used by the UK’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the Second World War.

On Friday, 28 June, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski met with his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf. It was the first meeting of Poland’s and Algeria’s foreign ministers in seven years.

On 1 July 2024, statutory provisions will enter into force resulting in the MFA taking over the competences and budget of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister regarding the care of the Polish community and Poles abroad. From this day on, the Polish diplomacy will supervise the calls for proposals and the implementation of public tasks in this area.

We inform that Minister Radosław Sikorski took the decision on closing the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the Organization of the Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The prize honours individuals or institutions that have made a notable and genuine contribution to introducing, advancing and protecting democracy and civil liberties worldwide.

On 27 June, Undersecretary of State Henryka Mościcka-Dendys held consultations with deputy head of Lithuanian diplomacy, Egidijus Meilūnas. The talks focused on international security agenda, the prospects of EU enlargement, and bilateral relations, with particular emphasis on the rights of the Polish minority and the situation of Polish schools in Lithuania.

On 26 June, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski met with his Romanian and Turkish counterparts: Luminița Odobescu and Hakan Fidan. The Trilogue meeting was held in Helenów near Warsaw.

During today’s consultations, the two ministers discussed the most important issues of common interest for Poland and Sweden, namely security in the Baltic Sea region, measures to help Ukraine in the face of the Russian aggression, and support for the European aspirations of Moldova and Ukraine.

The 13th meeting of the Polish–Austrian Mixed Commission for cultural and scientific cooperation was held on 24 June 2024. The Commission reviewed its activities so far and adopted the Programme for Cooperation in the Fields of Science, Education, and Culture for 2024–2028.