Poland wants to contribute to maintaining transatlantic unity, Witold Waszczykowski, Poland’s minister of foreign affairs, announced on Friday. Given the growing international challenges, the transatlantic dissonance could have catastrophic consequences, he emphasized.
During a speech delivered at the Global Forum in Warsaw, Poland’s foreign affairs minister spoke about the current “time of global volatility,” in which one crisis follows another. He mentioned Russia as an international challenge that is particularly alarming to Poland. He emphasized that Russia is using power as a method for imposing its will on other sovereign states.
According to Waszczykowski, Russia is trying to suppress democratic changes in neighboring countries and to rebuild its superpower status not by means of attraction, but by intimidation, harassment, energy blackmail and armed force.
He added that Poland is also alarmed by extremist forces in the Middle East, flash points such as North Korea, Venezuela and sub-Saharan Africa, and climate change.
In Waszczykowski's view, US President Donald Trump's visit to Warsaw is a clear step towards strengthening trans-Atlantic ties, and shows American engagement in the region.
Poland’s foreign affairs minister also stated that Poland is working to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank so that the Alliance provides the same security guarantees to all its members.
He added that the trans-Atlantic bond entails the duty of standing shoulder to shoulder in good times and bad.
Furthermore, Waszczykowski said that Europe’s actions must be compatible with NATO’s actions, and that they cannot duplicate each other.
Źródło: PAP/tłumaczenie intertext.com.pl