Mateusz Sakowicz’s appeal came at an open debate of the UN Security Council, entitled “Peace and Security in Africa: Capacity-Building for Sustaining Peace,” Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The Polish official said: “Even though colonialism has been commonly viewed as a grave mistake of the past, unfortunately, it has not been completely eradicated. Instead, it has changed its face into neo-colonialism and spread to various parts of the world.”
He added that “as a country with no colonial history, Poland is particularly sensitive to any forms of violent subjugation, let alone an illegal military aggression taking place in its close neighbourhood.”
‘We call on Russia to drop its neo-colonial agenda'
Sakowicz went on to say: “We call on Russia to drop its neo-colonial agenda and stop its senseless war in Ukraine, for it is hitting the most vulnerable populations around the globe.”
He added: “This concerns in particular the least developed countries, the majority of which are in Africa.”
The Polish diplomat also expressed concern about “the presence of private mercenaries on the African continent, which has been often linked to brutal violence and a long list of violations targeting civilians,” the PAP news agency reported.
He said that “their actions hamper stabilisation efforts undertaken by the European Union and its member states, including Poland, whose military personnel take part in the EU’s training mission in the Central African Republic.”
Russia’s private military company the Wagner Group has been active in the Central African Republic, among other countries, according to the PAP news agency.
Sakowicz also mentioned desertification, deforestation and shrinking access to safe water, among the negative effects of climate change that undermine security and fuel conflicts and inequalities in Africa.
Polish president to visit West Africa in September
Sakowicz announced that Polish President Andrzej Duda would visit West Africa in September in a bid to “modify the perception" of the continent, focusing on its "enormous potential," which "remains largely untapped.”
Wednesday is day 168 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, media.un.org