The talks focused on Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance. Minister Rau gave assurance of Poland’s unwavering support for Sweden on its path to full NATO membership, hoping for the latter to become a fact soon. Also discussed were the issues of security in the Baltic region.

The heads of diplomacy reaffirmed the need to continue to lend strong support to fighting Ukraine while putting Russia under growing pressure with the use of properly structured sanctions. They also talked about selected aspects of the Eastern policy.

The ministers noted the importance of Ukraine’s and Moldova’s aspirations to begin the EU accession negotiations even before the end of this year. Hopes were also voiced that Georgia will acquire the status of a candidate country, and the two diplomats spoke of the need to pursue an active enlargement policy in the relations with Western Balkan countries. Challenges for the future of the Eastern Partnership were touched upon as well. Minister Rau thanked Sweden for expressions of support for the Polish minority in Belarus.

The issue of how to approach the pact on migration and asylum adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council was also on the conference’s agenda. Also, the ministers discussed current bilateral relations and selected matters of regional cooperation, reaffirming the strategic character of the relations between Poland and Sweden. This was already the second meeting of Poland’s and Sweden’s top diplomats in 2023.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo: Barbara Wojciechowska/MFA