Under the EU-wide proposal, the officials would only be able to move within the countries where they are accredited.
The Polish foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, announced support for the initiative during a press conference at a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
Sikorski said: “The aim is to prevent enemies of the European Union and the Schengen Zone from exploiting our freedoms or operating espionage networks in other countries.”
He pointed to ongoing hybrid threats from Moscow, including sabotage and disinformation campaigns across NATO member states, as well as countries such as Georgia, Moldova and Romania.
“This is particularly important in light of our [Poland’s] upcoming presidential elections,” he added.
Poland has
already implemented restrictions on Russian officials independently. Since June, diplomats, consular officials and their families have needed approval to travel beyond their designated consular districts.
Sikorski also referenced Poland’s decision to close the Russian consulate in the western city of Poznań, attributing the move to alleged sabotage activities tied to Moscow. The consulate ceased operations in late October, with Russian staff ordered to leave Poland by November 30.
Intelligence exchange
Sikorski also said that NATO countries need to improve the way they share information between one another.
The foreign minister noted that strengthening intelligence cooperation was a key point of discussion in a meeting on Wednesday morning between representatives of the Baltic states, Germany and Poland.
“The exchange of intelligence is also crucial in the context of [Polish Prime Minister] Donald Tusk’s proposed initiative, Baltic Sea Navy Policing, a system for patrolling the Baltic Sea in response to aggressive actions by Russian vessels,” he said.
Tusk
first proposed the idea of a joint Baltic Sea naval patrol mission, modeled on the existing NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, at the Nordic and Baltic leaders’ summit in Harpsund, Sweden, last week.
