The Conference was officially launched on 5 July with a gathering of Poland’s mission heads and honorary consuls on an official meeting in Warsaw. Hosted by the Warsaw University of Technology, the opening event saw welcoming addresses by MFA Director-General and Head of the Foreign Service Henryka Mościcka-Dendys and Undersecretary of State Artur Harazim. Government representatives were also in attendance.

Following the opening event, the mission heads spent five days listening to lectures and engaging in discussions, initiated by a strategic panel with Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski.  The foreign minister spoke about security, economic growth, and Poland’s position on the international arena.

As regards our role in the G-20, but also in the United Nations, I think we are still paying a belated price for communism. Had we not spent 45 years on the other side of the Iron Curtain, we would have been among the founding fathers of the European Union, that’s for one thing, and secondly, we would not have been grouped with the Soviet Union as Eastern European countries in the UN, where we have somehow been discriminated against to this day

- Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski said.

All senior officials of the MFA took part in the Conference’s panel discussions. Their talks for heads of missions addressed different aspects of Poland’s foreign policy.

As a highlight of the Conference, Polish diplomats met with France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, the guest of honour at the event. During a joint press conference with the French top diplomat, Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski spoke about unique relations between Warsaw and Paris. He stressed that economic cooperation between the two countries has gained momentum since the entry into force of the Nancy Treaty, or the Treaty for Enhanced Cooperation and Friendship between the Republic of Poland and the French Republic. During a meeting with Polish diplomats, Minister Barrot emphasised the value of centuries-old friendship and cooperation between Poland and France.

History has always found us on the same side, from Napoleon and Marshal Poniatowski's Polish legions to General Haller's army, from Monte Casino to Normandy, fighting for the same cause, Freedom. But what binds France and Poland is more than history. It is a sheer refusal of fatality, the belief that freedom is always worth fighting for and that hope is never lost

- said Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot France’s top diplomat also pointed to the challenges currently faced by Europe, including security issues. 

During the meeting with the heads of foreign missions, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Deputy Minister of National Defence and Government Plenipotentiary for the Security Action for Europe Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka also spoke about security. The head of the Ministry of National Defence summed up the recent NATO summit in Ankara.

Poland is now a leader in armaments. It was the sentence most often heard at the NATO summit. The token of our success at the recent summit is the order in which Poland took the floor during the plenary session of the allied assembly. It was due to our activity within the Alliance and our investments in collective defence. First spoke the host, then the Presidency, the US, Germany, and Poland. Before the United Kingdom, before France, before Italy, before Canada, and other allies. This shows how far we have come since 1999 and how we have consolidated our position within the Alliance

- said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Minister Sobkowiak-Czarnecka talked about the changes in the Polish arms industry. She stressed that Poland has begun to export its solutions and has a comprehensive offer for customers in Europe and beyond.

The heads of missions also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski, who talked about the achievements of Polish administration and the private sector regarding digital services. Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański, in his speech, highlighted the dynamic growth of the Polish economy and emphasised that this success must be consolidated through concrete measures, including through cooperation with Polish diplomatic missions.

The Conference participants also held talks with, among others, Speaker of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Speaker of the Senate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, deputy speakers of both chambers, as well as the chairpersons of the parliamentary committees on foreign and European affairs.

The heads of missions also took part in training sessions on cooperation with the media and team management, and met with Polish entrepreneurs.