We are at a crucial moment for the future security of our region; the enlarged NATO is prepared for growing hybrid threats, noted Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. Finnish President Alexander Stubb stressed the importance of coordinating allied activities.
Sikorski and Stubb spoke at the official opening of the Meeting of Polish Postmasters Abroad, attended by Polish diplomats from around the world.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the President of Finland for coming to Warsaw and stressed that Poland and Finland share a common view on a number of foreign policy challenges.
First and foremost, we want a safe and prosperous future for our region and our citizens.
– emphasized Sikorski.
Our region has once again become an arena of geopolitical disputes, one of the actors does not play by the rules, and what is more – this actor intentionally violates the rules. We are at a key moment in the context of the future security of our region.
— said Sikorski, referring to Russia’s aggressive policy.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that after Finland and Sweden joined NATO, the Baltic Sea almost became an internal sea of the EU and NATO.
At the same time, he stressed that we should not forget the importance of the Baltic Sea for Moscow in terms of, among others, economic and military.
An attempt to destabilize the situation in the region
Sikorski added that the Kremlin is trying to destabilize the situation in the Baltic Sea region by threatening, among other things, critical infrastructure such as cables and pipelines. He stressed that the number of hybrid threats is increasing, such as airspace violations, for example by drones, jamming of GPS signals, cyberattacks or exploitation of migrants.
In response, we must act together, and the broader NATO – with Finland and Sweden – is ready for such action. Allies can support each other in defending critical infrastructure and can counter hybrid threats as well as the threat of Russia using nuclear weapons. Together we are strong.
– emphasized the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The President of Finland stressed that Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to win the war in Ukraine. “Peace must prevail,” he said. At the same time, he stressed that the Baltic Sea region, whose geopolitical importance is currently increasing, is feeling the effects of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s destabilizing actions.
NATO Enlargement
Stubb, referring to the recent enlargement of NATO, argued that Sweden and Finland are “more guarantors” than recipients of security in the region, due, among other things, to their numerous fighter jets patrolling their shared skies. He urged people not to believe the narrative spread by Russia that as a result of NATO’s expansion to include both countries, the region’s security has diminished.
It increased thanks to our NATO membership
– he assured.
He also spoke about the pillars of security – military and civilian. As he emphasized, “wars are fought on the battlefields, but they are won at home.” He also stressed the importance of countering sabotage attacks, the number of which – in his opinion – will increase, as will migration pressure from Russia.
Russia is trying to destabilize us by attacking the DNA of liberal democracy. We must not fall into this trap.
– argued the President of Finland. He stressed that the allies must act in a coordinated manner to increase their security and support Ukraine, which is fighting aggression.
Speaking about Finnish diplomacy, Stubb emphasized that realism “gives space for its foreign policy” to defend shared values.
Facility Managers Meeting
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the main topics of this year’s meeting of heads of foreign missions will be: security policy, European policy; multilateral diplomacy, assumptions and priorities of Polish foreign policy, public and cultural diplomacy, as well as Africa and the Middle East.
The diplomats will also talk about the practical functioning of foreign missions and the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The conference is an annual meeting attended by ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and permanent representatives of the Republic of Poland to international organizations; it is an opportunity to summarize events and trends in foreign policy and the observations of managers of Polish missions around the world. The event will last until 19 September.
More than 50 legally elected ambassadors were not invited to the meeting. These included, among others: Tomasz Szatkowski and Marek Magierowski.
READ ALSO:
– OUR NEWS. A caricature of a meeting of diplomats! Sikorski’s ministry did not invite more than 50 legitimate ambassadors to the event
— President Kaczyński on the actions of the Foreign Ministry: Recalling ambassadors or recalling them to Warsaw is an attempt to put pressure on the president
MD/PAP
