2024-05-25 13:00 update: 2024-05-27, 13:52
Photo PAP/Tomasz Gzell
The Polish foreign minister has complained that the country's president, Andrzej Duda, is hindering necessary replacements of ambassadors after the Law and Justice (PiS), the former ruling party Duda is affiliated with, lost power late last year.
Before the October 2023 parliamentary elections, lost by PiS, the former ruling party managed to pass a law increasing the powers of the president in shaping the country's foreign policy. Previously, the policy was determined mainly by the government.
The President's Office has already complained on many occasions that the ambassadorial decisions are not being consulted with the head of state.
But Radoslaw Sikorski, the foreign minister, refuted the allegations on Saturday.
"The President's Office is taking part in voting of the council (the Foreign Service Council - PAP), a body established recently under a PiS law, which aimed to give more authority to the president, but afterwards they pretend they're not taking part in it and that they were unaware of the decisions they are informed about; I don't understand that," Sikorski said.
"I have been sending motions for dismissals and appointments and I haven't received a single signature from the president, while the Polish diplomacy must undergo rotation," Sikorski added.
He also said the president failed to keep his promise that he "would not create problems" in cases where ambassadorial missions are nearing the end. "Unfortunately, so far I've been waiting in vain."
Most recently, Duda has said he will not agree to the replacement of Poland's ambassador to NATO, Tomasz Szatkowski, a diplomat loyal to PiS, with Jacek Najder, who served as Poland's ambassador to the military bloc in 2011-2016. Duda said the change would disturb the preparations to the NATO summit, which will be held in Washington in July. (PAP)
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