"I received saddening news about the death of Colin Powell - General of United States Army, former U.S. Secretary of State and a true statesman," Poland's Rau said in a Twitter post in English on Monday.
"Polish people will never forget his role in deepening Polish-American relations at the beginning of our membership in NATO," he added.
Powell, the first Black US secretary of state who helped shape American foreign policy under several Republican administrations at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, has died from complications from COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated, his family said on Facebook.
Powell had been suffering from multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body's immune response, as well as Parkinson's, US broadcaster CNN has reported, citing Powell's longtime chief of staff Peggy Cifrino.
It noted that those who are immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus even if fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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Source: IAR, PAP, cnn.com