On Tuesday, Sweden’s Tobias Billstrom foreign minister met with Sikorski in Warsaw to discuss renewing the declaration on strategic partnership, supporting Ukraine and Moldova’s EU membership, and ensuring long-term, stable support for Ukraine.
Sikorski said that the Polish-Swedish cooperation is “close and friendly.”
“We have a strategic relationship. We agreed that the 2011 joint Polish-Swedish declaration (...) will not only be updated, but will be elevated to the level of heads of government. We hope to sign it this fall.”
He added that Poland and Sweden are important economic partners and that last year trade turnover between the two amounted to €15 billion.
Sikorski also highlighted that Sweden's NATO membership has also enhanced security in the Baltic Sea region. He added that the upcoming Alliance summit in July “must send a clear message of full readiness for the collective defense of our region.”
The FM pointed out that the most important topics of his conversation with Billstrom were the war in Ukraine and plans for EU enlargement.
Billstrom in Warsaw
In turn, Sweden’s foreign minister said that Stockholm and Warsaw “face the greatest security challenges since the height of the Cold War.”
He added: “Poland and Sweden agree that we must meet these challenges, (...) we must deepen bilateral cooperation as allies within NATO.”
Continuing, Billstrom said that both countries would cooperate on issues concerning Belarus, such as supporting democratic movements and pressuring the Belarusian regime. He also thanked Poland for its support in joining the Alliance.
The ministers also discussed the future of the Eastern Partnership, a joint Swedish-Polish initiative.
Healthcare priorities for Poland
While the Swedish FM met with Sikorski, Polish Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna met with her Swedish counterpart, Acko Ankarberg.
They discussed Poland’s health priorities for its 2025 EU Council Presidency, including digital health care transformation, preventive care, and mental health for children and adolescents, with Sweden pledging support.
They also addressed common challenges and joint solutions for health care in Poland and Sweden, underscoring the strong cooperation between the two nations.
