Minister Sikorski meets Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani

During what was the first meeting of Polish and Italian foreign ministers in seven years, they discussed defence under NATO and the European Union, migration policy, supporting Ukraine, and the EU's enlargement policy.

The very good bilateral relations between Poland and Italy are exemplified by our security cooperation. It involves the Italian Air Force and Navy taking part in NATO operations on Polish territory and the Polish Military Contingent's presence in the Mediterranean as part of an EU mission.

Minister Sikorski stressed that he and Minister Tajani see threats to the Schengen system: previously coming from the Mediterranean, the Balkan route, and now also from the Belarusian border. - Belarus is waging a hybrid war using pseudo-migrants, but the most important consequence of it should be that our societies regain the belief that governments at both national and EU levels are enforcing their sovereign right to control migration - said the head of the Polish MFA.

Minister Sikorski also called for more Western assistance to Ukraine, especially in terms of weapons to defend its airspace, and for the lifting of the ban on using Western long-range weapons within Russian territory.

The head of the Polish MFA thanked his Italian counterpart for their joint protest against Israeli attacks on the UNIFIL contingent in Lebanon. The interlocutors discussed the situation in the Middle East, expressing concern over the escalating tensions in Lebanon and stressing the need for the international community to work towards a two-state solution.

On the European agenda and EU enlargement policy, Minister Sikorski assured his interlocutor that advancing the EU accession of both the Eastern Trio (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia) and the Western Balkan countries will be one of the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council. Minister Tajani thanked for Minister Sikorski's proposal to make a joint tour of Africa, a continent too important to be exposed only to Russian or Chinese influence, during the Polish Presidency in the first half of 2025.

Paying respects to the Polish soldiers fallen at the Battle of Monte Cassino and buried at the Polish War Cemetery there marked the end of Minister Sikorski's Italian visit. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle, in which Polish casualties amounted to 923 killed, 2,931 wounded, and 345 reported as missing. Minister Sikorski laid a wreath at the Virtuti Militari Cross at the Cemetery, a resting place for 1,048 Polish soldiers-apart from those killed during the Battle of Monte Cassino, also soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps killed before the assault and those who laid down their lives in further fighting in the area, mainly in the battle of Piedimonte.

Photos: Konrad Laskowski/MFA