Zbigniew Rau made the statement at a joint news conference with his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Poland to ratify Finnish membership 'as quickly as possible’
Poland’s top diplomat said in the Finnish capital: “Poland welcomes your application for membership of NATO; there is political consensus in my country that we should proceed with the ratification as quickly as possible.”
'Your accession will strengthen NATO'
He added: “I am convinced that your accession will strengthen NATO and contribute significantly to an increase in security and political stability in the Baltic Sea region.”
Earlier this week, NATO leaders gathered at a summit in Madrid agreed to invite Finland and fellow Nordic country Sweden to join the pact.
Russia 'should be isolated from international community'
Rau told reporters that Europe "found itself in a new strategic situation" following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He thanked Finland for its solidarity and support for the war-torn country.
He also said that "the Russian regime should be isolated from the international community and economy" and that existing sanctions against Russia were insufficient.
"We must continue our work on a new package of restrictive measures," he declared.
Polish-Finnish cooperation
Rau also said that Poland and Finland were working "very well together” on security and defence and noted that bilateral trade totalled EUR 4.3 billion in 2021.
Meanwhile, Finland's Haavisto said that he and Rau also discussed "cooperation within the European Union." He stressed that Finland decided to speed up its application for NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier on Friday, Rau was hosted by Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö and also met with the country's Minister of European Affairs and State Assets, Tytti Tuppurainen.
Friday was day 128 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, bankier.pl