Poland FM outlines 2025 foreign policy priorities

Warsaw, April 24 (IANS) Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski presented the government's foreign policy objectives for 2025 in an address to parliament, reaffirming Poland's commitment to European defence, the transatlantic alliance, and the preservation of international order.

Speaking before the Sejm, the lower house of Parliament, in the presence of President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday, Sikorski described the global situation as increasingly volatile.

"The world is becoming less and less predictable," he said, citing ongoing geopolitical conflicts, shifting power dynamics, and economic instability, Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that "Polish diplomacy must focus on reinforcing these institutions rather than questioning their legitimacy" -- a nod to domestic criticism of EU policies from the Opposition.

Sikorski emphasised that the greatest danger facing Poland would be the fragmentation of the Western alliance.

"We cannot afford illusions or inaction. We cannot afford to be alone," he said, underlining that Poland's future hinges on the strength of its international partnerships.

Key priorities outlined in the speech included bolstering European and EU defence capacities, maintaining cooperation with the US, defending the global order based on the UN Charter, and fostering constructive relations with the Global South.

While reaffirming Poland's support for Ukraine, Sikorski clarified that Warsaw will not send troops as part of any peacekeeping mission, though it stands ready to assist such efforts in other ways.

"The international situation is less predictable than 20 years ago, but Poland is stronger," Sikorski said.

"We have a strong ally in NATO and we are a member of the European Union. Let me reiterate: membership of both those organisations does not limit Polish sovereignty but it helps to defend it.

"It provides access to mechanisms of cooperation which allow for more coordinated actions. We are better prepared for difficult times than we would have been as a single island outside the military, political and economic structures."

Sikorski, a key figure in Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centre-right Civic Platform party -- which leads the country's governing coalition -- noted that the financial might of NATO countries' budgets would dwarf Russia's war capability if all member states spent 3.5per cent of GDP on defence.

--IANS

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