The head of the Polish government and the French president are to lay flowers at the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970, visit the exhibition at the European Solidarity Center and place pendants on the so-called wall of freedom. A joint appearance for the media and laying flowers at the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 are also planned. The delegations will visit the European Solidarity Center, where the Bronisław Geremek Award ceremony will take place.
The meeting – as reported by the Government Information Center – implements the provisions of the Treaty on Enhanced Cooperation and Friendship between the Republic of Poland and the French Republic, signed on May 9, 2025 in Nancy. The talks will cover, among others: bilateral relations between Poland and France, challenges for security in Europe, as well as allied and transatlantic relations. The summit will also be attended by representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs, defense, energy and culture and national heritage.
On April 20, the Polish-French Friendship Day, established in the treaty signed in Nancy, will be celebrated for the first time. The treaty covers military, economic, social and cultural issues. It assumes mutual security guarantees, cooperation in combating hybrid threats, and joint activities in the field of defense industry, economy, agriculture and science.
Talks in Paris regarding the Strait of Hormuz
On Friday, representatives of about 50 countries talked about establishing a multilateral mission that would ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Poland was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski. While the meeting, organized via videoconference, was still ongoing, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi announced on the X platform that as long as the truce with the US and Israel lasts, all commercial ships can pass through the strait. The opening of Hormuz was confirmed by US President Donald Trump.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who hosted the meeting together with Macron, said that several countries had expressed their readiness to contribute to a possible future multilateral defense mission in Hormuz. He announced that more details would be provided after a conference on this topic in London next week. After the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Iran’s declaration, called for the complete, unconditional opening of the strait and said that Tehran’s decision was a step in the right direction.
Poland declares support for activities aimed at the permanent opening of Hormuz, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw. In a statement issued after the meeting, the ministry emphasized that the success of these plans depends on maintaining the ceasefire between the US and Iran.
On February 28, the United States and Israel attacked Iran, which responded by attacking the Persian Gulf countries. He also virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only selected vessels to pass through and blocking hundreds of others. Authorities in Tehran also announced that they would charge ships for passing through the strait. There has been a ceasefire in the war since April 8, which expires on Wednesday, April 22. Trump has been suggesting for several days that he is close to reaching an agreement with Iran that would end the war.
Hope for peace between the US and Iran is mixed with uncertainty. Donald Trump threatened that if Tehran did not agree to hand over its enriched uranium, the US would deprive it of its supplies “in a much more hostile way.”
