In an interview for Gazeta Wyborcza – full of boasting and selfishness, but also malice towards all critics – Radosław Sikorski tries to defend himself against the accusations recently made by the Dutch media. “Bribery is a crime and ancillary activities are legal and quite common in Brussels”; “My classmate Boris Johnson receives several times higher fees”; “Since 2015, I have been one of Sergey Lavrov’s harshest critics,” said the PO MEP. But is it convincing?
How does Sikorski try to defend himself? For example, in an interview with “GW”, he argued that the article of the Dutch daily newspaper … would not contain any new information.
I include information about my income in my asset declarations and the Polish media wrote about it a few years ago. So please don’t say something “discovered” or “reported” because that’s not true. And as for the audit, it seems strange to me that the starting point for that would be confirmation that I correctly filled out my form on the Sejm’s website and openly declared my income. And also the fact that I advise at the most prestigious conference on the Middle East. I don’t know what to check here
– he said.
“Additional profitable activity is legal”
Sikorski pointed out that this case is linked to a huge corruption scandal in the European Parliament called Katargate, responding that “this is very unfair”.
There is a fundamental difference between secretly accepting cash in plastic bags and honestly declared and taxed advice at an international conference. (…) Bribes are a crime, and extra profitable activities are legal and quite common in Brussels. I repeat, the Polish press already wrote about my advice to the Forum in 2021. Only then there was no election campaign
– added.
At that moment, Paweł Wroński asked his interlocutor: “How much does your watch cost?”
my watch? It’s about twenty years old, but it cost about $200 new, a gift from my wife
– replied the PO MEP, who showed the first signs of “scam” in this interview.
And I remember it was the subject of quite a big article in the Ukrainian press under President Viktor Yanukovych. At that time it was written that in Ukraine it is not appropriate to appear with a watch less than 40-60 thousand. hole. But I know what you drink for – on Sławomir Nowak’s watch, which was not included in the asset declaration. Well, here’s the reverse situation, because I revealed everything exactly
– he said, answering another question about high earnings. At this point, Sikorski decided to boast further, this time with his acquaintance with the former Prime Minister of Great Britain.
The fees for lectures and participation in advisory boards are many times higher abroad than in Poland, because the audience is larger and richer. They also vary greatly – for example, my classmate Boris Johnson receives several times higher fees. On the other hand, serving on the advisory board of one of the world’s most important international conferences brings with it not only responsibilities and appropriate remuneration, but also pomp and circumstance.
– he said.
Sikorski further boasted that in 2017 he was invited to the board of advisers of the Sir Bani Yas Forum (remember, for $100,000 a year) “as an academic and as a former politician.”
The organizers probably decided that I had something to say and that the Central European point of view should be represented at the Forum
he intervened.
Lavrov and pro-Russianism
Sikorski also tried to refute allegations about his meeting at last year’s SBY forum with Sergei Lavrov, the head of Russian diplomacy.
I didn’t invite him, I wasn’t at the conference that day, and I haven’t spoken to him once since I left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (…) Except that I’ve been one of Sergei Lavrov’s fiercest critics since 2015. In January 2022, I was accused of excessive brutality when I publicly warned him that Russia would be “kicked in the balls” if it attacked Ukraine. And after the invasion I said he followed the path of Ribbentrop, who was sentenced to death at Nuremberg. You must admit that it is quite unusual for a “Russian onuca”
– said Sikorski, ignoring the fact that his Twitter posts or statements have been diligently supplied by Russian propaganda.
Also with a huge dose of malice, Sikorski referred to the remembered scene, when he smoked a cigarette with Lavrov on the balcony of the Palace on the Water in Łazienki
I do not smoke. We went out onto the balcony, as we were in King Stas’s office, which is under strict protection, and Lavrov absolutely wanted to smoke. So much. (…). It is even more harmful to listen to the propaganda of the psycho-right, who lie and manipulate everything
– added an extremely offensive representative of the “pristine” PO.
READ ALSO: New facts about Sikorski! The PO politician was in the UAE on the same forum as Lavrov. PE: He was there as a Member of the European Parliament
Someone doesn’t understand what lobbying is. It is influencing decisions or regulations in some area of life. And the conference is just a forum for discussion. Besides, the two EP committees I sit on – foreign affairs and defense – do not pass laws or regulations. To avoid any suspicion, I have been very careful to ensure that in the few cases where resolutions or reports on relations with the UAE are concerned, I always vote as directed by my group, the European People’s Party, as it has already confirmed. Nor have I played any part in drafting such resolutions or reports
he continued.
(…) when I was elected to the European Parliament, I asked the administrative services whether I should give up my business activity, which consists of lecturing, participating in debates and advising, as in the case of this conference. (…) I was then told that there are no obstacles, and many MEPs also derive additional income from scientific or economic activities. This is the practice and how I behave is my decision. I would also like to remind you that during these four years I have been very careful to vote in accordance with the Group’s recommendation
– added.
A malicious response to Zandberg’s claim
Not only towards PiS, but also towards the left, MEP Sikorski showed considerable malice in an interview by responding to Anna Maria Żukowska or Maciej Gdula.
Professor Gdula may not know that the UAE is of course a monarchy and a Muslim country, but the most liberal in the Persian Gulf region. Of course, it is not comparable with the countries of Western Europe, but anyone who has heard of Dubai knows that in this regard it is completely wrong to associate it with fundamentalist Saudi Arabia.
– he said, wanting to throw the ball to the other side of the field, he mentioned the “rapprochement” of Poland under PiS rule with the UAE.
When Wroński mentioned that politicians from opposition parties, for example from Razem, pointed out that he was becoming a burden to the opposition and that his candidacy for the position of head of the Foreign Ministry in the opposition government was under discussion, Sikorski Adrian Zandberg decided biting to beat.
But I am not in favor of skinning a bear while the bear is still in the woods. I think you should first win the elections and only then think about personnel. I wish Adrian Zandberg that the left crosses the electoral threshold this time, because in 2015, due to the failure of this formation, not without the merit of chairman Zandberg, it fell out of the Sejm and PiS took over independent rule
– he said.
A great diplomat, a connoisseur of the world, a friend of great people, who did not break a single rule, did not break a single rule or went beyond the limits of good taste… This is how Radosław Sikorski tries to present himself. He’s innocent and everyone around is stupid? For some reason, this is the second time the former head of the State Department has caused such a storm. And it is hard to believe that the Dutch or Belgian media, which covered his case, were so eager to support the campaign of the rulers in Poland. It’s hard to sell pretty fairy tales when you feel something isn’t right here.
READ ALSO:
– Sikorski explains! MEP responds to reports from the Dutch newspaper: My votes in the EP are not influenced by outside activities
— Stanisław Janecki: Sikorski plays the hero and the innocent, because he probably didn’t read the rules and code of the European Parliament. When he reads it, he softens
– Radosław Sikorski under the supervision of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau! The officials of the CBA check the asset declarations of a Member of the European Parliament
– Sikorski’s malicious message to a POLITICO journalist! He ‘congratulated’ her for becoming ‘a hero to our nationalists’
– QUESTIONNAIRE. Should Sikorski disclose his sources of income? The majority of Poles surveyed by the studio agree
olk/”Gazeta Wyborcza”
Source: wPolityce