On 29 February 2012 the Weimar Triangle foreign ministers' meeting was held in Berlin at the invitation of German FM Guido Westerwelle. The meeting was attended by Polish FM Radosław Sikorski and French FM Alain Juppé. Key topics included European policy, in particular the future EU budget, the situation in Syria and Belarus, and the upcoming presidential elections in Russia.

Today , the authorities of the Republic of Belarus requested that the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland and the Permanent Representative of the European Union to Minsk leave the territory of Belarus. They also recalled their ambassadors from Warsaw and Brussels for consultations. This has occurred “in connection with the European Union Foreign Affairs Council’s decision of 28 February, 2012, to widen sanctions against Belarus and, in connection with the particular role Poland played as [the decision’s] initiator”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to announce that it regards this as an unfriendly step taken by Belarus towards the whole European Union. The European Union will respond to this measure.

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, made today the following statement:

On 29 February 2012, the Weimar Triangle foreign ministers’ meeting will take place in Berlin at the invitation of German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. The meeting will be attended by his Polish and French counterparts – Radosław Sikorski and Alain Juppé.

On 28 February 2012 Minister Mikołaj Dowgielewicz will attend the GAC meeting in Brussels. It will be the second formal meeting of Ministers for European Affairs since the beginning of the Danish EU Council Presidency.

On 27 February 2012 Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski will lead the Polish delegation to the FAC meeting in Brussels. During the meeting ministers will discuss, among other issues, the situation in Syria and Egypt, as well as the Middle East peace process.

On 24 February, Poland, represented by its Deputy Foreign Minister, takes part in an International Conference of Friends of the Syrian People in Tunis. The Polish delegation is headed by Jerzy Pomianowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On 21-23 February 2012, MFA Undersecretary of State Beata Stelmach visited Kiev where she held talks on Polish-Ukrainian economic relations. Minister Stelmach raised the issue of support for Polish entrepreneurs who have difficulty doing business in Ukraine.

Thanks to the efforts of the Polish Embassy in Washington and Polish-American organisations in the United States, on 15 February, The Associated Press officially informed about a change in its style book, banning the expression “Polish death camps”. In response to an intervention by the Polish Embassy in the offices of The Associated Press on 6 February (following the Agency’s publication on the Auschwitz concentration camp), on 15 February, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington received a letter from David Mithorn, Deputy Standards Editor.

Thanks to prompt action by the Polish Embassy in Washington, the Los Angeles Times apologised for its use of the phrase “Polish concentration camp” and published a correction on the same day. The incorrect phrase was found in the article: “The ethics of disaster tourism: what is the right thing to do”? written by Catharine M. Hamm.

Minister Radosław Sikorski met with Sayed Abdel Wahab Qattali, Director of the Anti-Communist Struggle Museum in Herat, Afghanistan.

On 11 February 2012, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski held a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. The phone talks were held at the initiative of the United States. Secretary Clinton thanked Poland for accepting to represent U.S. interests in Syria.

On 17 February 2012, Prague will host political consultations between Polish and Czech Deputy Foreign and Defence Ministers. The Polish delegation, headed by Bogusław Winid, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Zbigniew Włosowicz, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Defence, includes senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, and the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces.

The 4th Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Poland and Ukraine was held on 8 February 2012 in Kiev. The Polish delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. The delegation also comprised Undersecretary of State Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz and directors of MFA departments.

On 15 February, Mikołaj Dowgielewicz, Secretary of State for European Affairs and Economic Policy visits Nicosia.

On 14 February 2012, Mikołaj Dowgielewicz , Secretary of State for European Affairs and Economic Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with Michael Link, Minister for European Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany. The two Ministers discussed the fiscal compact, the Multiannual Financial Framework and the Eastern Partnership.

On 9 February 2012 MFA Under-Secretary of State Jerzy Pomianowski conducted a telephone conversation with Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Amr Helmy.

On 9-10 February 2012 MFA Secretary of State Jan Borkowski and Under-Secretary of State Beata Stelmach took part in a meeting  in Warsaw which focused on the run-up to the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. Minister of Sport and Tourism Joanna Mucha and Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism Katarzyna Sobierajska also participated in the debate.

On 10 February 2012, an agreement on mutual visa representation was entered into in Bratislava between the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Slovakia. The agreement was signed by Grażyna Bernatowicz, Undersecretary of State in the MFA on behalf of the Polish government and Milan Ježovica Secretary of State in the Slovak MFA on behalf of the Slovak government.

On 9 February, Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski met David Harris, the Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee, one of the most influential Jewish organizations in the United States. The topics discussed during the meeting included Polish-Jewish and Polish-Israeli relations, the situation in the Middle East and Iranian issues, as well as the perspective of including Poland under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.

Secretary of State for European Affairs and Economic Policy Mikołaj Dowgielewicz is due to visit Tallinn on 9-10 February 2012. Mr Dowgielewicz will hold consultations with Kaja Tael, Under-Secretary of State for European Union Affairs and Transatlantic Relations at the Estonian MFA, and Juhan Lepassaar, Director for EU Affairs at the Estonian State Chancellery.

On 6 February 2012, the government of the United States of America decided to close its embassy in Damascus. Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of State – taking into account the special nature of Polish-American relations and Poland’s position in the Middle East – requested that the authorities of the Republic of Poland represent U.S. interests in Syria. In keeping with the principle of international solidarity and the long tradition of Polish-American friendship, Poland has agreed to the request.

The 4th Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Poland and Ukraine will be held on 8 February 2012 in Kiev. The Polish delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.

During the Munich Security Conference on 3-5 February 2012, Minister Radosław Sikorski - apart from taking part in a panel discussion devoted to the role of Germany in the EU and around the world - also engaged in a number of interesting bilateral meetings. Among others, he talked with the foreign ministers of Germany, Spain, Romania, Czech Republic, Moldova, and Serbia. The discussion with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle covered such issues as the Syria crisis, Iran's nuclear programme and the future of the EU - including the new Multiannual Financial Framework.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski is participating in the 48th Munich Security Conference on 3-5 February 2012. During the conference Minister Sikorski will take part in a panel discussion devoted to the role of Germany in Europe and around the world.

On 5 February 2012 Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski will participate in the Council of the Baltic Sea States 17th Extraordinary Ministerial Session in Plön, Germany. The meeting will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Council’s establishment.

On 31 January 2012, in the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies in Warsaw, Minister Radosław Sikorski presented the Bene Merito distinction to Prof. João Carlos Espada. Since 2009, the Bene Merito honorary distinction has been bestowed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Polish and foreign citizens whose activities enhance Poland's position in the international arena.