Zbigniew Rau’s words came as diplomats gathered for the international event in the Hague, the Netherlands, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Poland’s top diplomat said the conference would send “a clear message” to war criminals that “they can’t expect impunity.”
He added: “Thanks to the efforts of the international community, investigations against them will continue and, no matter how long it takes, they will be brought before the court and sentenced.”
Rau told reporters that Poland played an important role in the process.
“We are providing logistical support to investigators from other countries, but we are also conducting our own probes, given the large number of refugees in our country,” he said.
Entitled “Accountability for Ukraine: Enhancing Coordination of Action to Deliver Justice,” the conference in the Hague has been organised by the Dutch government, the European Commission and the office of the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan.
Participants include European Union foreign ministers and the EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was expected to address the gathering by video link.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a letter to the conference, which was read out to participants.
So far, 18 countries have launched investigations into Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Six of these countries, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia, are conducting a joint probe alongside the EU’s agency for criminal-justice cooperation, Eurojust and the ICC’s Karim Khan, the PAP news agency reported.
Thursday was day 141 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, wnp.pl