Sweden and Poland need to tighten their relations and cooperate with Germany. I also count on cooperation with the Polish government within the EU framework – said Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstroem. The head of Swedish diplomacy also stated, “Poland, like no other, understands the threat from Russia.”
On Wednesday, in the Swedish parliament, Billstroem delivered a foreign policy statement of his country, in which, besides continuing support for Ukraine, he considered cooperation in the Nordic and Baltic regions as the highest priority.
The head of Swedish diplomacy reminded that Sweden and Poland are located by the Baltic Sea, a region where Russia is a common enemy. “There is a need to tighten the relations between Sweden and Poland and to cooperate with Germany. I also count on cooperation with the Polish government within the EU framework,” he emphasized.
Billstroem added that he had recently spoken several times with the head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski. As revealed, among the topics was the future of the Eastern Partnership, a program initiated by Poland and Sweden in 2009 to support Eastern European and South Caucasus countries. “We are considering how to develop this initiative,” he noted.
In his statement, Billstroem, apart from supporting Ukraine, also assured of continuing actions to help Moldova and the democratic opposition in Belarus.
According to the Swedish Foreign Ministry head, another expected aspect of Swedish-Polish cooperation is NATO following Hungary’s acceptance of Sweden’s membership. Billstroem maintained that he expects the Hungarian parliament to deal with ratification after resuming work on February 26.