Sikorski: The president has neither the authority nor the knowledge to deal with European policy

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski emphasized on Tuesday that President Karol Nawrocki has no constitutional powers or knowledge to deal with European politics. He also criticized the president for the fact that managers of posts in Tehran, the UAE and Kiev are still waiting for ambassadorial nominations.

“The president has neither constitutional rights nor knowledge, both official and personal, to deal with European policy. Patriotism would be good performance of the office and not further attempts to seize power,” Sikorski wrote on Tuesday on the X website

He also recalled that managers of “war outposts” in Tehran, the United Arab Emirates and the capital of Ukraine – Kiev are still waiting for ambassadorial nominations.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appealed to the president for the last time at the end of February to appoint ambassadors at the conference after the exposé. He emphasized that he was pleased with the president's earlier words that they were on the right track to reaching an agreement on ambassadorial nominations. He then added that negotiations were ongoing and expressed hope for their good results.

The dispute between the government and the presidential center regarding ambassadorial nominations has been going on since March 2024. Then the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided that over 50 ambassadors would end their mission, and a dozen or so candidacies – submitted for approval by the previous management of the ministry – would be withdrawn. The then president, Andrzej Duda, emphasized that “no Polish ambassador can be appointed or dismissed without the president's signature.” The ambassadors who left their posts but were not formally recalled by the president were replaced by diplomats designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who do not have the status of ambassadors, but charge d'affaires.

President Nawrocki is particularly opposed to the nomination of the current head of the mission in Washington, Bogdan Klich, and Ryszard Schnepf, chargé d'affaires in Italy, as ambassadors. (PAP)

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