Yesterday 29 June, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets met with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau and Minister of European Union Affairs Konrad Szymański in Warsaw. This year, Estonia and Poland celebrate the centenary of diplomatic relations and the 30th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic ties.
At the meeting with her Polish counterpart, Liimets discussed bilateral and regional relations, foreign and security policy issues, and spoke about the situation in Russia and Eastern Partnership countries.
“Poland is an important partner and ally and we are working together both as members of the European Union as well as NATO to ensure the security of our region. We highly appreciate Poland’s contribution to the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission and participation in our annual Spring Storm exercise,” the foreign minister said.
The ministers also discussed the importance of transatlantic relations and agreed that the United States played an irreplaceable role in ensuring security in Europe. Liimets and Rau also talked about the increasing isolation of Belarus after the regime decided to suspend its participation in the Eastern Partnership, and voiced concern over the repressions against the civil society. Touching on relations with China, Liimets highlighted the importance of a common EU approach and policies.
Liimets and Rau also spoke about economic cooperation and regional infrastructure projects, and potential joint actions in the cyber domain and the Three Seas Initiative. “We both consider regional cooperation extremely important, both in terms of developing transport networks as well as ensuring energy security in the region. I am glad that we have worked together successfully in the framework of the Three Seas Initiative. Estonia considers it crucial to have closer relations with strategic partners and reinforce the Three Seas Investment Fund,” Liimets said.
The ministers also touched upon new cooperation options in innovation, green transformation and emerging technologies.
In Warsaw, Liimets also met with Minister of European Union Affairs Konrad Szymański. They talked about topical European Union issues, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe, enlargement and migration. Liimets noted that the discussions on the future of Europe should be about listening to the citizens and focusing on issues they consider essential.
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