You, presenting the issue of our perceived powerlessness in the EU, say that you should go into the mainstream; you were swimming in a current whose direction was determined by someone else; we don’t want to go into the mainstream, we form the mainstream, Zbigniew Rau, the head of the foreign ministry, told the opposition in the Sejm.
The head of the Foreign Ministry, Zbigniew Rau, presented information to the Sejm on Thursday about the directions of Polish foreign policy in 2023. At the end of the nearly day-long debate, the minister spoke again, referring to the questions and voices raised in the discussion.
Among other things, he argued with the voices of opposition representatives that the government is fighting with the EU institutions, and the result is helplessness in the EU structures.
Let me tell you, I get a completely different impression. I am convinced that our policies, if pursued with determination, will enable us to lead to EU regulation that serves our national interests
said Raw.
READ ALSO: The head of the MFA bluntly: The problem of the lack of German compensation exists and we will consistently strive to solve it
One of the proofs, he said, is, for example, the deletion of the directive on the forced displacement of refugees.
We pushed through and no one holds a grudge against us today. On the contrary, most of them are on our side
said Raw.
You, who presented the issue of our perceived powerlessness in the EU, argued that you should go into the mainstream. Ladies and gentlemen of the opposition, you have been swimming in this current for a long time, you are swimming in a current whose direction has been determined by someone else
said Raw.
Among the evidence, he added, were the words of Cezary Tomczyk, then a government spokesman, that Poland can accept any number of immigrants, not just those mandated by the 2015 Forced Relocation Directive.
It was proof that it was going mainstream. We don’t want to go into the mainstream. We shape the mainstream. This is ambitious policy
said the head of the foreign ministry.
We certainly won’t do like Prime Minister (Ewa) Kopacz, when she immediately gave up after hearing what the mainstream was about
– added.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also addressed the words of one of his predecessors, Dariusz Rosati, who, as the minister said, questioned the legitimacy of the regional groups that we are co-creating because they are malfunctioning.
Weimar Triangle
The Weimard Triangle is doing well, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured. He said that the MFA heads of the triangle met twice in 2021, and twice, in February 2022 and February 2023, the presidents of Poland and France, as well as the chancellor of Germany. Most likely, foreign ministers will meet in France this spring, Rau said.
The essence of the misunderstanding comes down to treating the Weimar Triangle as a discussion forum and the state as a decision-making body
noted Rau.
The minister also referred to the words of another of his predecessors, Grzegorz Schetyna, that – as he quoted – “not only have we led to the collapse of our diplomacy, but we have committed a massive deprivation of experienced, well-prepared diplomats. ”
I wondered why Schetyna didn’t specify what kind of environment he meant
said the minister.
He admitted that based on the Foreign Service Act and the ABW advice issued thereon, “the head of the Foreign Service has made decisions in the case of 38 persons”. All these people, he said, were graduates of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). The oldest of these graduates, the minister said, graduated in 1985, the youngest in 1999, the year we joined NATO.
That is, he consciously, deliberately and voluntarily chose this university, and not another, and planned a career in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
– he said.
I wondered why Minister Schetyna expressed his concern about this. No one in the country, as far as I recall, has expressed such concern. I remembered someone expressing a similar concern. It was my host in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov
concluded Rau.
Germany’s role
The head of the Polish MFA also spoke about Germany’s role.
We have no doubt that Europe does not need German leadership (…) Germany is and will remain our ally and an important political partner, but we will strive for a form of our bilateral relations in which the concept of partnership is equally understood by both parties , as a relation of two equal entities. We will therefore encourage our German partners to make a historic turn in their policies, including towards Poland and its interests. We believe that such a change is in the interest of both countries and of the whole of Europe
he said.
READ ALSO: TOP 15 quotes from the exposé of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “This is the time of ambitious politics. Germany has a debt to Poland and Poland that has still not been paid.
Mly/PAP
Source: wPolityce