Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski commented on reports that Mateusz Morawiecki was putting pressure on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to refuse to receive the Polish ambassador appointed by the government. “I have checked this rumor and unfortunately it has been confirmed,” Sikorski told “Kropka nad i”.
The guest of “Kropka nad i” was the Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski. He was asked, among other things, about the reports of “Gazeta Wyborcza”, which reported that Mateusz Morawiecki he put pressure on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to refuse to accept the new Polish ambassador Ryszard Schnepf, appointed by the government Donald Tusk.
– I have checked this rumor and unfortunately it is confirmed – said Sikorski. – It is outrageous – added the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked whether the former prime minister also put pressure on other prime ministers, Sikorski said: – That's what I read on the internet, but I haven't confirmed those matters, so I can't say.
Radosław Sikorski in “Kropka nad i”TVN24
“What purpose does this serve? I don't know”
President Andrzej Duda does not want to agree to Bogdan Klich becoming ambassador to Washington. – Before, there was such an informal process of asking the head of state for his opinion. This process was eliminated by the act on the foreign service, which created the Foreign Service Convention with representatives of the Prime Minister, the president, the minister of foreign affairs and the head of the service. Voting takes place there at the request of the president, not wholesale, but individually. The candidates I present get a result of either 3 to 1 or 4 to 0. And despite this, the president does not sign – explained Sikorski.
– What is this supposed to serve? I don't know. I have the impression that the president believes that only the PiS ambassador is truly Polish, that the ambassador elected by the new government with a new democratic mandate is no longer Polish. This of course makes our work more difficult, but the chargé d'affaires will fulfill their duties – said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
– This is a hindrance to the conduct of Polish foreign policy. I don't know why the president is doing this. First, he praised ambassador (Jacek) Najder, who had already served him (the president – ed.), because he had previously been ambassador to NATO, and now he doesn't want to sign his papers. I don't understand – he added.
When asked whether the president would reach an agreement with the government, he replied that “it depends only on whether the president comes to terms with the mission he has to fulfill.”
Sikorski: the president is a representative of Poland, not the head of the executive power
Asked whether a common position would be developed at the National Security Council convened by the president before the NATO summit, he replied that “there is no need for a common position, because Poland's foreign policy is conducted by the Council of Ministers.”
– the Council of Ministers already passed it on, and if not, tomorrow it will pass on to the president the position that the president is supposed to represent, because that is his constitutional role. If he does it as he did in Chinawhere he fulfilled our request in a certain important, specific matter, he will perform his duties – said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
– The president took a certain risk because he went to a communist country, had his photo taken against the background of communist flags, but there he raised an important issue for Poland – he added.
Sikorski admitted that the president “has the right to full information”. – Of course, he can always invite me, the Minister of Defense, or the Prime Minister and can enter into dialogue – he said, noting that “the president is a representative of Poland, not the head of the executive power”.
Sikorski for president? “Many politicians have a mace in their backpack”TVN24
Sikorski for president? “We have several good candidates”
Is Sikorski planning to run for president? – We have several good candidates. I believe that in these wartime times the commander-in-chief of the armed forces should indeed have experience in the field of security. He should be able to distinguish between a brigade and a battalion – he replied.
When asked if this was a dig at Rafał TrzaskowskiSikorski denied it and said: – I am convinced that it does.
When asked what Prime Minister Donald Tusk's reaction was after Sikorski admitted that he had presidential ambitions, the MFA chief replied that he had not spoken to him about the previous interview on TVN24 and that he thought that “many politicians have a baton in their backpack”. He also assured that he likes his current job.
On whether he would see himself as a candidate in elections presidential elections, Sikorski was asked on TVN24 two weeks ago. – If Kaczyński ran again, I would gladly face him, to be honest. And make him lose again – Sikorski said then. Asked about his candidacy, if Kaczyński did not run, the politician said that the “mother party” would decide on that.
KO has not yet decided who its candidate will be in next year's presidential elections. However, the most common message is that the natural candidate for this position is the mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, who ran against Andrzej Duda in 2020, losing to him in the second round with a result of 48.97 percent.
Main image source: TVN24