US to host Middle East focused conference in Poland next month

The United States will hold a global conference in Poland devoted to the situation in the Middle East, especially in Iran, the US Department of State informed on Friday. The conference is scheduled on February 13-14.

Earlier plans to hold the meeting in Warsaw were announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview for Fox News in Cairo.

"We'll bring together dozens of countries from all around the world. Countries will all come together to focus on Middle East stability and peace and freedom and security here in this region, and that includes an important element of making sure that Iran is not a destabilizing influence," Pompeo said.

He added that the summit will bring together countries from Asia, Africa, the Western Hemisphere, Europe and the Middle East.

According to Fox News the announcement is the latest step in the Trump administration’s pursuit of what it calls a "pressure campaign" against Iran that includes withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement and restoring sanctions the U.S. once lifted as part of the deal.

The Polish Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement on Friday that "the US and Poland will jointly host the 'Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East' in Warsaw on February 13-14."

The ministry noted that the meeting "will address a range of critical issues including terrorism and extremism, missile development and proliferation, maritime trade and security, and threats posed by proxy groups across the region."

The Polish side also stressed that "the joint Ministerial also underscores the close strategic partnership between the United States and Poland, which advances our common interests in promoting international peace and security."

Presidential aide Krzysztof Szczerski on Friday called the conference the biggest event hosted by Poland since the 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw. Szczerski added that the choice of Poland as the conference site confirmed the country's rising international position and the strong partnership between Poland and the US.

Szczerski also informed about planned February talks in Warsaw between Poland's President Andrzej Duda and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.