Foreign minister presents Poland's most urgent policy goals
The foreign minister has named security, apolitical foreign service, strong position in the EU and addressing global challenges as the most urgent objectives of Polish foreign policy.
Radoslaw Sikorski presented four main directions of Polish foreign policy for 2024 at the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, on Thursday.
He referred to this year's anniversaries of Poland's accession to Nato and the EU and the overthrow of the communist system in 1989.
"Within these 35 years, Poland has become a European democracy," he said. "We have succeeded, we have built the country our forefathers dreamt of.
"There is still much to improve in terms of poverty, exclusion and equal opportunities," he continued. "The question is what we are going to do with the achievements of the past 35 years and the challenges of the present and the future."
According to Sikorski, the first step is to make Poland 'secure'. It requires developing the state's military resources, as well as fostering relationships with allies such as Nato, with the leading role of the US. It also involves preventing Russia from winning the war with Ukraine.
The second priority was "a strong Poland in a strong EU." "It is in Poland's interest to assist and co-create this process," Sikorski said, adding that Poland "must become a highly-developed country."
The foreign minister defined the next objective as "an active and responsible Poland in the global community." He said Poland should be "taking responsibility for global challenges."
The last task Sikorski addressed was "the reconstruction of a professional, apolitical foreign service, and the restoration of the statutorily-defined role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the centre of creating Polish foreign policy," implying that the previous government had deteriorated the standards of the country's foreign policy. (PAP)
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