Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (''Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych'', MSZ) is the
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
government department tasked with maintaining Poland's international relations and coordinating its participation in international and regional supra-national political organisations such as the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
and
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. The head of the ministry holds a place in the
Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
.


Remit and responsibilities of the ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible primarily for maintaining good, friendly relations between the Polish Republic and other states. In doing so it is required to act primarily as a representative of the Polish people. To this end all Polish diplomatic missions around the world are subordinate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassadors, whilst receiving their credentials from the President of Poland, are employees of the foreign ministry and are recommended to the President for their posts by the minister of foreign affairs. The ministry is considered to be one of Poland's most important, with the minister of foreign affairs ranking amongst the most influential people in Polish politics. This position is typically reserved for seasoned, professional politicians, and is thought to require a great deal of tact and intellect.


History

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was first established, with Leon Wasilewski as its secretary, under the authority of the Regency Council when Poland regained (albeit in name only) its independence from the occupying
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
forces in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. However, the ministry began to fulfil its ascribed duties truly only after the fall of the Regency Council, adoption of the
Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
and the rise to power of Józef Piłsudski. The ministry was then, until 1939, located in central
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, with its seat in the Brühl Palace on Piłsudski Square. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the ministry was evacuated, along with the rest of the Polish government, first to France and then onwards to London, where it formed part of the
Polish government in exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...
. During this period Count Edward Raczyński, a man who was later to become President of the government in exile, was the minister responsible. After 1945, when most countries began to afford diplomatic recognition to the new communist government in Warsaw, at the expense of the government in exile, the authorities of the new
Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
refounded the ministry and appointed, as its first minister, Edward Osóbka-Morawski. Since 1989 and the establishment of the Third Republic, the ministry and its staff have been located in a complex of buildings on Aleje Szucha in central Warsaw, not far displaced from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.


Structure


Regional affairs departments

The departments for regional affairs exist to monitor the internal situation and politics of the countries within the area of any one specific department's competence. They coordinate development of bilateral relations, initiate the related undertakings and prepare evaluations. These departments oversee the issue of Poland's participation in the structures of multilateral cooperation with any relevant partner states, as well as handling interregional cooperation. They are responsible for the substantive activity of relevant Polish diplomatic missions abroad. Currently the Following regional affairs departments exist: * Administration Office * Asia-Pacific Department * Bureau for the Protection of Classified Information * Bureau of Archives and Information Management * Bureau of Control and Audit * Bureau of Finances * Bureau of Human Resources * Bureau of Infrastructure * Department for Cooperation with Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad * Department for Proceedings before International Human Rights Protection Bodies * Department of Africa and the Middle East * Department of Consular Affairs * Department of Development Cooperation * Department of Economic Cooperation * Department of European Union Law * Department of Foreign Policy Strategy * Department of Public and Cultural Diplomacy * Department of the Americas * Department of the Committee for European Affairs * Department of United Nations and Human Rights * Diplomatic Protocol * Director General's Office * Eastern Department * EU Economic Department * European Policy Department * Information Technology and Telecommunication Office * Inspectorate of the Foreign Service * Legal and Treaty Department * MFA Press Office * Minister's Secretariat * Operations Centre * Political Director's Office * Security Policy Department


Ministers of Foreign Affairs (since 1989)

Political Party:


Previous officeholders

; Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918) * Wojciech Rostworowski (26 November 1917 – 27 February 1918) (''Director of the Department of Political Affairs'') * Janusz Radziwiłł (4 April 1918 – 23 October 1918) (''Director of the Department of State'') *
Stanisław Głąbiński Stanisław Głąbiński (25 February 1862 – 14 August 1941) was a Polish politician, academic, lawyer and writer. Early years Głąbiński was born on 25 February 1862 in Skole, in the Stryj district, Eastern Galicia, in what was then the A ...
(23 October 1918 – 4 November 1918) (''Minister for Outside Affairs'') ;
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
* Leon Wasilewski (17 November 1918 – 16 January 1919) * Ignacy Jan Paderewski (16 January 1919 – 9 December 1919) *
Władysław Wróblewski Władysław Wróblewski (; 21 March 1875, Kraków – 19 August 1951, Łódź) was a Polish szlachcic, politician, scientist, diplomat and lawyer. He is notable as the last provisional prime minister of the German-controlled puppet state of Regen ...
(13 December 1919 – 16 December 1919) *
Stanisław Patek Stanisław Jan Patek (; 1 May 1866 – 25 August 1944), Polish lawyer, freemason and diplomat, served as Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1919 to 1920. The lawyer Born in Rusinów, he was an activist of the Polish Socialist Party who ...
(16 December 1919 – 9 June 1920) * Eustachy Sapieha (23 June 1920 – 24 May 1921) *
Jan Dąbski Jan Dąbski (10 April 1880 in Kukizów, Galicia – 5 June 1931 in Warsaw, Poland) was a Polish politician. Founder of Polish People's Party "Piast" (PSL Piast) in 1913. He was the chief negotiator for Poland at the peace negotiations in Riga ...
(24 May 1921 – 11 June 1921) * Konstanty Skirmunt (11 June 1921 – 6 June 1922) * Gabriel Narutowicz (18 June 1922 – 14 December 1922) * Aleksander Skrzyński (16 December 1922 – 26 May 1923) *
Marian Seyda Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places * Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queensla ...
(28 May 1923 – 27 October 1923) *
Roman Dmowski Roman Stanisław Dmowski (Polish: , 9 August 1864 – 2 January 1939) was a Polish politician, statesman, and co-founder and chief ideologue of the National Democracy (abbreviated "ND": in Polish, "''Endecja''") political movement. He saw th ...
(27 October 1923 – 14 December 1923) *
Karol Bertoni Karol may refer to: Places * Karol, Gujarat, a village on Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat, west India * Karol State, a former Rajput petty princely state with seat in the above town Film/TV *'' Karol: A Man Who Became Pope'', a 2005 miniseries *' ...
(19 December 1923 – 19 January 1924) *
Maurycy Zamoyski Count Maurycy Klemens Zamoyski (30 July 1871 – 5 May 1939) was a Polish nobleman ( szlachcic), politician, social activist, and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Polish government of the 1920s. He was the 15th Lord of the Zamość estate and th ...
(19 January 1924 – 27 July 1924) * Aleksander Skrzyński (27 July 1924 – 5 May 1926) * Kajetan Dzierżykraj-Morawski (10 May 1926 – 15 May 1926) *
August Zaleski August Zaleski (13 September 1883 – 7 April 1972) was a Polish economist, freemason, politician, and diplomat. Twice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, he served as President of Poland- in-exile. Life and career Aug ...
(15 May 1926 – 2 November 1932) * Józef Beck (2 November 1932 – 30 September 1939) ;
Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...
The Polish government-in-exile had a wide international recognition until 1945, and limited to just few countries until the 1970s *
August Zaleski August Zaleski (13 September 1883 – 7 April 1972) was a Polish economist, freemason, politician, and diplomat. Twice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, he served as President of Poland- in-exile. Life and career Aug ...
(30 September 1939 – 25 July 1941) *
Edward Raczyński Edward Raczyński was the name of three members of a Polish aristocratic family: * Edward Raczyński (1786–1845) Polish conservative politician, protector of arts, founder of the Raczynski Library in Poznań * Edward Aleksander Raczyński (1847 ...
(22 August 1941 – 14 July 1943) * Tadeusz Romer (14 July 1943 – 24 November 1944) *
Adam Tarnowski Adam Tarnowski may refer to: * Adam Tarnowski (senior) (1866–1946), count, Polish and Austrian-Hungarian diplomat * Adam Tarnowski (minister) Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countr ...
(29 November 1944 – 10 February 1949) * Mieczysław Sokołowski (7 April 1949 – 8 December 1953) *
Aleksander Zawisza Aleksander Zawisza (12 December 1896 – 28 March 1977) was the prime minister of the Polish Government in Exile from 25 June 1965 to 16 July 1970. Previously the minister of foreign affairs, in 1959 he played a part in moving the wartime archi ...
(8 August 1955 – 11 June 1970) *
Jerzy Gawenda Jerzy is the Polish language, Polish version of the masculine given name George (given name), George. The most common nickname for Jerzy is Jurek (given name), Jurek (), which may also be used as an official first name. Occasionally the nickname Je ...
(20 July 1970 – 14 July 1972) * Jan Starzewski (18 July 1972 – 15 December 1973) *
Bronisław Hełczyński Bronisław (feminine: Bronisława) is a Polish name of Slavic names, Slavic origin meaning ''broni'' (to protect, to defend) and ''sława'' (glory, fame). The name may refer to: People * Bronislava of Poland, a 13th-century nun who was beatified i ...
(17 January 1974 – 15 July 1976) *
Zygmunt Zawadowski Zygmunt, Zigmunt, Zigmund and spelling variations thereof are masculine given names and occasionally surnames. People so named include: Given name Medieval period * Sigismund I the Old (1467–1548), Zygmunt I Stary in Polish, King of Poland and Gr ...
(5 August 1976 – 1 September 1979) *
Kazimierz Sabbat Kazimierz Aleksander Sabbat (27 February 1913 – 19 July 1989), was President of Poland- in-exile from 8 April 1986 until his death, 19 July 1989, after serving (from 1976) as Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile. Early life S ...
(1 September 1979 – 7 April 1986) *
Zygmunt Szkopiak Dr. Zygmunt Szkopiak (12 December 1926 – 21 October 2002) was a Polish scientist, diplomat, and historian who from 1986 until its dissolution in 1990, served as the last Minister of Foreign Affairs in the London-based Polish government-in-exil ...
(1986 – 20 December 1990) ;Republic of Poland /
Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
* Edward Osóbka-Morawski (21 July 1944 – 2 May 1945) * Wincenty Rzymowski (2 May 1945 – 5 February 1947) *
Zygmunt Modzelewski Zygmunt Modzelewski (15 April 1900, Częstochowa – 18 June 1954, Warsaw) was a Polish communist politician, professor, economist, and diplomat. Life and career He was a member of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania a ...
(6 February 1947 – 20 March 1951) * Stanisław Skrzeszewski (20 March 1951 – 27 April 1956) *
Adam Rapacki Adam Rapacki (24 December 1909 – 10 October 1970) was a leading Polish Communist politician and diplomat from 1947 to 1968. He started in the socialist movement but in 1948 joined the Central Committee of the new Polish United Workers' Par ...
(27 April 1956 – 22 December 1968) *
Stefan Jędrychowski Stefan Jędrychowski (19 May 1910 – 26 May 1996) was a Polish communist politician, economist and journalist, who served as deputy prime minister, foreign minister and finance minister in Poland. Early life and education Born in Warsaw on 19 ...
(22 December 1968 – 22 December 1971) *
Stefan Olszowski Stefan Michał Olszowski (born 28 August 1931) is a Polish politician, who was a member of Polish United Workers' Party. He served as the foreign minister of the People's Republic of Poland for two terms. Biography Olszowski was born in Torun ...
(22 December 1971 – 2 December 1976) *
Emil Wojtaszek Emil Wojtaszek (22 August 1927 – 17 June 2017) was a Polish politician who served as the minister of foreign affairs of the People's Republic of Poland from 1976 to 1980. Biography Wojtaszek was born in Kraków on 22 August 1927. He was centr ...
(2 December 1976 – 24 August 1980) *
Józef Czyrek Józef Czyrek (20 July 1928 – 3 June 2013) was a Polish politician who served as the minister of foreign affairs of the People's Republic of Poland from 1980 to 1982. Early life and education Czyrek was born in Białobrzegi, in the Lwów Voiv ...
(24 August 1980 – 21 July 1982) *
Stefan Olszowski Stefan Michał Olszowski (born 28 August 1931) is a Polish politician, who was a member of Polish United Workers' Party. He served as the foreign minister of the People's Republic of Poland for two terms. Biography Olszowski was born in Torun ...
(21 July 1982 – 12 November 1985) *
Marian Orzechowski Marian Odon Orzechowski (24 October 1931 – 29 June 2020) was a Polish politician and a former member of the Polish Communist Party. He served as foreign minister of the People's Republic of Poland from 1985 to 1988. Early life and education ...
(12 November 1985 – 17 June 1988) *
Tadeusz Olechowski Tadeusz Olechowski (10 January 1926, Vilnius – 4 January 2001, Warsaw) was a Polish communist politician, Polish ambassador to various countries from 1960s to 1980s (France, 1969–1972 and 1976–1980, Egypt, 1972–1974, Western Germany Th ...
(17 June 1988 – 9 September 1989)


References


External links


Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland



Polish diplomatic missions abroad

Foreign missions in Poland

Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Google Cultural Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Poland)
Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...
Poland, Foreign Affairs
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Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
Foreign relations of Poland Ministries established in 1916