Poland wants Russia expelled from UNESCO says minister

Poland is in favour of stripping Russia of its membership in UNESCO, a deputy culture minister has said.

Wanda Zwinogrodzka said that she had presented Poland's position on Russia at an informal meeting of EU culture ministers held in Angers, France, on March 8.

"We are in favour of depriving Russia of its membership in UNESCO and other international organisations," she said. "It is also necessary to remove all of the Russian Federation regime's media channels from digital platforms around the world in order to stop the lies of Russian propaganda."

Zwinogrodzka said that Poland supported the appeal by the Oleksandr Tkachenko, the Ukrainian culture minister, and Ukrainian cultural figures, to impose sanctions on Russia in the area of culture.

"In this de facto totalitarian state, culture plays a servant role and serves as a tool of political propaganda," she said. "Sanctions should include the cancellation of all projects in which the Russian Federation is involved and those financed by Russia, the cancellation of the Russian Federation's participation in international festivals, exhibitions, forums and artistic events, as well as preventing the presentation of Russian culture in the media."

According to a statement by Poland's culture ministry: "Poland, in face of the war unleashed in Ukraine by the Russian Federation, whose basic modus operandi are crimes against the civilian population, takes the position that the sanctions of the civilised Western countries should be severe and effective."