Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
02/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/01/2024 04:22
Deputy Minister Marek Prawda holds political consultations with his counterparts from France and Romania
Deputy Minister Marek Prawda holds political consultations with his counterparts from France and Romania
29.02.2024
Today's bilateral talks, first with the French MFA's Secretary-General Anne-Marie Descôtes and then with Romania's Deputy Foreign Minister Daniela Grigore Gitman, provided an opportunity to underline Poland's close relations with these partners. The officials discussed matters such as common security, support for belligerent Ukraine, and preparations to take over the EU Council presidency by Poland.
The consultations with the French MFA's Secretary-General focused on the key issues of military and economic assistance for Ukraine, the future of European defence industry, and countering disinformation. Cooperation within the Weimar Triangle was also high on the agenda. The deputy head of the Polish MFA was satisfied to note France's activity to support Ukraine, including during recent meeting of heads of state and government in Paris on 26 February. He also welcomed its readiness to enhance cooperation under the Weimar Triangle, reiterated during foreign ministers' meeting of Radosław Sikorski, Stéphane Séjourné, and Annalena Baerbock in Paris on 12 February 2024.
Deputy Minister Prawda's talks with Daniela Grigore Gitman were dominated by bilateral relations, the situation in Ukraine and Moldova, and the prospects of EU's enlargement. The deputy ministers stressed particularly close ties between their countries.
This year is rich in anniversaries important for both Poland and Romania: 105th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and 15th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership.
Speaking on the EU's future, the deputy ministers agreed that the EU enlargement is becoming a geopolitical necessity. Therefore, Poland decided to make it one of its priorities during its presidency in the first half of 2025.
The deputy ministers also took part in a concert hosted by the Royal Castle in Warsaw to mark the 105th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Poland and Romania and to celebrate Polish-Romanian Solidarity Day. The Solidarity Day was established by the parliaments of the two countries in 2023 and is celebrated for the first time this year. It commemorates the signing of the Convention on Defensive Alliance between the Republic of Poland and the Kingdom of Romania of 3 March 1921.
Photo: Barbara Milkowska/Sebastian Indra/MFA