Minister as a “petitioner”. What does the head of the National Security Bureau think about the dispute between the president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

On Thursday at the scientific conference “Lavoro pericoloso” President Andrzej Duda said that “the president could appoint judges himself on the basis of: this one is suitable, this one is suitable, this one is suitable”. – This, in my opinion, is the deep systemic meaning of the president's institution – ensuring the continuity of state authorities, which also includes making judicial nominations. No one else can make this nomination, he added.

– As I understand it, the president's statement concerns the expression of the will of the head of state in the decision to appoint a judge, general or ambassador. The head of state, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, or the person with the greatest social mandate cannot be treated as a notary of the will coming from the minister. This is how I understand the president's words – said the head of the National Security Bureau in Friday's “Fakty po Faktach”.

– I encourage all ministers to take equal care to ensure that the president's will is fulfilled and observed – he said, referring to the dispute between the Presidential Palace and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the appointment of ambassadors, which has been ongoing since March.

To the comment of the program's host, Piotr Kraśka, that the minister's primary duty is to hold office and not to fulfill the president's will, Siewiera replied that “the ability to persuade in diplomacy is one of the most important values.” – I have the impression that this is probably what we miss the most. Since all ministers are able to find an agreement with the president regarding the appointment of Commissioner Serafin and the generals, it is worth the Ministry of Diplomacy also finding the right language to convince the president – said the head of the National Security Bureau. He noted that “diplomacy is an essential element and tool of the Ministry of Diplomacy's work.”

According to Polish law, ambassadors are appointed and dismissed by the president at the request of the minister responsible for foreign affairs.

– The application assumes that, as a petitioner, the applicant addresses the authority that makes the decision. And you have to respect that. The proposal has a specific, formal meaning, argued Siewiera. He added that “the president, whether we like it or not and whether we accept it, has the greatest social mandate.”

Head of the National Security Bureau met on Friday on the border with Belarus in Połowce (Podlaskie) with the services and watched the security being strengthened there. – This barrier, under which so many dramas have taken place in recent years, is becoming not only a technical fortification, but also a symbol of the Western world's struggle to delimit the Russian Mir from the world – said Jacek Siewiera. – The President pointed out that the tasks of the Border Guard must be subject to evolution, including the use of larger caliber weapons, in order to be prepared for the possibility of adopting a border battle, if necessary – he said.

– It is very important to distinguish between two actions. One, border protection, which it implements Border Guard as part of their basic duties, and defense of the border, which is what the army is created for, which requires fortifications, and which requires proper landscaping. In both of these areas, it is, of course, necessary to increase the ability to perform tasks and increase the ability to counteract aggressive hybrid actions on the part of the party Belarus or conventional combat – said Siewier in “Fakty po Faktach”.

The head of the National Security Bureau said that the first line of defense is the Border Guard and this is its basic scope of duties. – That is why we must start thinking about transforming the Border Guard into a formation that not only carries out police and operational-criminal tasks against smugglers, but also preventive tasks and preparation for activities such as the Border Protection Corps once did, i.e. readiness for military operations – said Siewiera .

He pointed out that the barrier at the border had been significantly strengthened. – The effectiveness of these 70 kilometers of additional, reinforced barrier, improved barrier thanks to the involvement of the Border Guard and the decisions of the Minister of Internal Affairs Tomasz Siemoniakwe can say today with satisfaction that the number of illegal attempts to cross the border is one of the lowest recorded so far – said the head of the National Security Bureau.

He also emphasized that “this is not the effect of one week, one month or half a year.” – This is the effect of three years, because this crisis, this artificial form of instrumentalization of migration, has been going on for three years – he noted, pointing here to the “excellent decisions” of the previous government, including the Minister of Internal Affairs Mariusz Kamiński.

Siewier was also asked about the words of the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, General Wiesław Kukuła, who said a few days ago that “everything indicates that we are the generation that will stand with weapons in our hands to defend our country.” The statement of the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army aroused controversy.

– These are the words of a soldier. The soldier is very literal. And so were these words. These were words addressed to soldiers, candidates, serving soldiers and cadets. These words remain absolutely justified with one reservation, I especially like the justification for the phrase “we will come back”, because it clearly shows where we will fight this fight – commented Siewiera.

– It is very important that Polish soil has too often been a battlefield to conduct this fight at home. This is a very important statement, for which I believe that the Chief of the General Staff should be praised, he added.

In his opinion, “we must also return to these words in the context of the understanding that our allies in the North Atlantic Alliance may have.” – If we assume that we will fight with weapons in our hands and this war will take place, then a question arises among our allies about the effectiveness of deterrence from the North Atlantic Alliance, because its main task is to prevent war – he pointed out.

– In my deep belief, our fundamental obligation is deep, very serious work at the grassroots. Both building, as in the gym, mass, purchasing equipment, acquiring further unmanned and manned platforms, gaining mass by recruiting new soldiers for active forms of military service and effective training, coordinating subunits, using the chain of command, tightening the decision-making loop and reforming the management and control system command, i.e. this new army architecture. So that war never happens. So that the effectiveness of this machine would be so great that this war would never happen, he argued.