President to accept resignation of two top Polish military commanders
President Andrzej Duda is due to accept the resignations submitted by two of the most senior commanders of the Polish armed forces today, a senior Polish security official has said.
The military confirmed on Tuesday that Gen. Rajmund Andrzejczak, the chief of the General Staff, and Gen. Tomasz Piotrowski, the operational commander, had handed in their notices.
Jacek Siewiera, the head of Poland's National Security Bureau (BBN), told a press conference that the generals' resignations were on the agenda of Tuesday's meeting between the president, prime minister (Mateusz Morawiecki - PAP) and government representatives.
"Of course, if yesterday, the gentlemen generals, decided to submit applications for the termination of their services and to take off their uniforms, such decisions will be accepted by the commander of the Armed Forces (the president - PAP)," Siewiera said.
He added that for both the president and the BBN it is absolutely crucial to maintain the continuity of command and the efficiency of operations, such as the evacuation of Poles from Israel, which is now underway.
"This operation is coordinated by the General Command, so its continuity is not threatened in any way," Siewiera said.
He added that the operations of all troops will continue under new leadership, "because today there will be personnel changes in the most important command positions of the Polish Army."
Reacting to the news, Donald Tusk, the opposition leader, has appealed to officers and generals of the Polish Army "to maintain their cool and uphold maximum responsibility."
He also appealed to Duda to quickly inform the public about what was happening in the Polish Armed Forces when there is a war across Poland's eastern border, and a conflict growing in the Middle East, which could turn into a global conflict "any hour now."
"As never before, in recent years we need a sense of stability and security," Tusk said.
No reasons for the generals' decisions to quit, which come just days before Poland holds a general election on October 15, have been made public.(PAP)
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