No Polish ambassador can be appointed or recalled without the signature of the President of the Republic of Poland, President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday when asked whether the Foreign Ministry has started the procedure for recalling 50 ambassadors.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced earlier on Wednesday that the head of the ministry, Radosław Sikorski, decided that day to end the mission of more than fifty ambassadors and withdraw several candidacies submitted for approval by the previous management of the ministry. The ministry added that the proposed changes were presented as part of the Foreign Service Convention, and practical appeal procedures were initiated following their acceptance by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry expressed hope “for joint cooperation of the country’s main authorities in this field.”
When President Duda was asked about this issue during his visit to the US, he said:
No Polish ambassador can be appointed or dismissed without the president’s signature. The decision of the President of the Republic of Poland is of fundamental importance here
– added Duda.
The head of Polish diplomacy asked earlier on Wednesday on RMF FM whether Poland would now have chargés d’affaires instead of ambassadors, and replied that “it happens in diplomacy, it has happened in the past too.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that he and Minister Sikorski had decided to ask the president for permission for changes in most embassies. He added that “we are dealing with a very massive change in the embassies.”
If there is no other option, we will of course recall ambassadors to the country and the ambassadors will – until the President’s position changes or the President is replaced – be diplomats acting as chargé d’affaires. If this solution satisfies the president, so be it. Somehow we have to build a team that is loyal to the Polish state and that will manage our affairs and the affairs of the Polish state in all embassies.
– announced the Prime Minister.
Who appoints and dismisses ambassadors?
Under the Foreign Service Act, the Ambassador is appointed and dismissed by the President of the Republic of Poland at the request of the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs, approved by the Prime Minister.
The minister responsible for foreign affairs shall seek the advice of the Foreign Service Convention before submitting the application. The Convention consists of: the minister responsible for foreign affairs or a member of the management of the office at the service of the minister responsible for foreign affairs designated by him; head of the Foreign Service; representative of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland; representative of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery.
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Source: wPolityce