Polish president meets EU foreign policy chief - News - National Security Bureau

02.06.2016

Polish president meets EU foreign policy chief

President Andrzej Duda met with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Warsaw on Thursday.

After the meeting, the Polish president said the talks had focused on the most important issues in the European and transatlantic dimensions, related to security policy in the context of the EU Global Strategy being prepared by the bloc's foreign policy chief.
 
The interlocutors also referred to the Eastern Partnership programme and EU-NATO cooperation in the context of the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, President Duda said.
 
"At present work is in progress on drawing up and agreeing on a joint EU-NATO declaration on security, especially in the context of hybrid and cyber threats, and also on cooperation related to security in the south of Europe and in Central-Eastern Europe", the president told reporters.
 
He underlined that he and Mogherini had expressed hopes for the signing of this declaration "in connection with the NATO summit in Warsaw", adding that there would be further meetings in Brussels at the foreign minister and NATO secretary general level to negotiate the declaration.
 
Andrzej Duda and Federica Mogherini also discussed EU-Russia relations. President Duda thanked the high representative for a common position on the necessity of observing international law in relations with Russia.
 
"It is crucial to implement the Minsk agreements and normalise the situation in Ukraine so that Ukraine can regain control over its borders. One should view sanctions against Russia also in this context," the president stressed.
 
The talks concerned energy security as well, including "action taken at the European Commission level regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline", Andrzej Duda also said.
 
Work on the joint EU-NATO declaration is going well, according to Mogherini.
 
She said that she and Duda had discussed the crises that exist around the EU and Poland's contribution to solving some of them and preventing others. In this context, she mentioned the crisis in Ukraine, saying that the EU was still of the opinion that all sides should fully implement the Minsk accords and that Ukraine should receive active support in its difficult work on introducing reforms.
 
The EU knows it can always count on Poland's help with maintaining good relations with all the eastern partners, Mogherini also said, calling Poland a very strong EU member state. The EU appreciates the fact that Poland contributes to the EU's development so determinedly, she added.

Source: president.pl; PAP