H.E. Ms Anna Sochaska:

Of course, many Ukrainians who have relatives in Poland are staying with them. That is a good opportunity for us also.

I refer to the appeal of the Polish First Lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, who wishes to send a message also to Ireland concerning disabled children because, of course, our capacities will come to an end one day. There is a strong need to invite or take in those poor children who are traumatised by war and are also sick. That is her appeal.

It is important to state that Poland, along with Sweden, was the initiator of the eastern partnership policy. I was very sorry to see how some EU countries are hesitant in terms of discussing the Council conclusions and even using the wording "European vocation". I think we should really focus on that point and offer European Union candidate status to all those countries. These are European countries. European Union candidate status does not hurt. It takes time to become a member of the EU but it is a very important process that is a part of this policy of providing security and stability in Europe.

I encourage the committee to use the potential of the Polish and Romanian diaspora in Ireland. In the case of the Polish diaspora, the language element is important because our languages are very similar and it is so for us easy to communicate with Ukrainians who do not speak English, for example. I wanted to say Irish. It would be great if the committee could use that potential.

Last but not least, I wish to bring the attention of the committee to the visit of my Prime Minister to Ukraine. He is in Kyiv now, having left Poland by train. I do not know the results of the meeting. He is there along with the Czech and Slovenian Prime Ministers. It is another example of the psychological importance of such visits. It sends a message that, "You are not alone; we are together." We need European solidarity in this respect.