Polish ambassador to Nato unsuitable for office, interior minister says

2024-05-24 13:24 update: 2024-05-29, 13:05
Photo PAP/Rafał Guz
Photo PAP/Rafał Guz
Tomasz Szatkowski, Poland's ambassador to Nato, should never have been appointed to the role, the interior minister has said, quoting a report by a security agency.

"Szatkowski should never have become an ambassador and should return to Warsaw as soon as possible," Tomasz Siemoniak, the interior minister and coordinator of security agencies told the private broadcaster TVN24 on Friday.

Szatkowski was appointed to the role by the former socially-conservative government of Law and Justice (PiS) in 2019.

President Andrzej Duda, who is considered a PiS ally, on Thursday expressed opposition to the new government's plans to replace Szatkowski with Jacek Najder, a former Polish ambassador to Nato in 2011-2016. According to Duda, the dismissal of Szatkowski before the upcoming Nato summit in Washington could disrupt Poland's preparations for the July event.

But Siemoniak said the president had already been informed about doubts surrounding Szatkowski, which have been raised by one of the Polish security agencies.

"Over the past dozen or so days, documents concerning Szatkowski reached the president," Siemoniak said, adding that the documents had been prepared by one of the security agencies. 

"I had hoped that the matter would be dealt with without any turbulence, in particular on the part of presidential officials," the minister continued.

According to Siemoniak, the documents disqualify Szatkowski for the role of the country's ambassador to Nato. (PAP)
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