“President Andrzej Duda is ready to discuss candidates for ambassadors with the government, but such consultations must precede sending applications for their appointment,” said Mieszko Pawlak, head of the Presidential Office of International Policy.
During the press conference, Mieszko Pawlak was asked about the dispute between the president and the government, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over the appointment of ambassadors. Today on Platform In response, the president stated on X that Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were solely responsible for the absence of ambassadors to the US, Ukraine and other countries.
At a later press conference, Pawlak stated that “Poland has ambassadors, only the current government deprives them of the opportunity to work in foreign offices – therefore talking about the president blocking ambassador nominations is a serious abuse or manipulation.”
““It’s the president’s prerogative.”
There is an ambassador to Ukraine, there is an ambassador to the US, there is an ambassador to NATO – if the government believes and proposes that the ambassador should be replaced, consultation with the president is necessary, because appointing and dismissing ambassadors is the prerogative of the President and the only President, and there is no alternative; in recent years this practice has always been followed
– emphasized the head of BPM.
For some reason this has been put on hold for the past six months. The government tries to force changes in these positions regardless of the opinions and position of the president and his representatives. (…) This practice will not be tolerated by the President. The President is open to discussions about candidacies, but such discussions must precede the sending of applications, and a situation where applications are sent without consultation is unacceptable.
– he declared.
“The doors of the presidential palace are open”
Pawlak added that “the doors of the presidential palace are always open.”
If the minister (Radosław Sikorski – PAP), who is initiating these kinds of changes, decides that he actually wants to discuss these candidacies with the president, then such a meeting can take place. Unfortunately, we have not yet noticed any such willingness to consult the candidates
– he said.
The conflict between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the president over ambassadors has been going on since March this year. Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Minister Radosław Sikorski had decided that more than fifty ambassadors would end the mission, and that several candidates submitted for approval by the previous leadership of the ministry would be withdrawn. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry expressed hope “for joint cooperation of the country’s main authorities in this field.”
Charge d’affaires status
The ambassadors who left their posts but were not formally recalled by the president were replaced by diplomats appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who, due to the conflict, do not have the status of ambassadors, but chargé d’affaires – such is the situation in the US, for example, where Bogdan Klich replaced Marek Magierowski, or in Ukraine, where Piotr Łukasiewicz replaced Jarosław Guzy.
The situation is different in institutions where in recent months and years there has been no Polish diplomat with the rank of ambassador – this is the case, for example, in Israel, but also there the candidate declared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Maciej Hunia – received the presidential no nomination. On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński told PAP that Hunia will take over the management of the Polish embassy in Israel in the coming days, currently without an ambassadorial nomination.
Foreign Service Act
In accordance with the Constitution, the President of the Republic of Poland shall cooperate with the Prime Minister and the competent minister in the field of foreign policy.
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 that serves as Chairman, designated by the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs, the Head of the Foreign Service, a representative of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, a representative of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery.
READ MORE:
– That sounds like a threat to the head of state! Tusk: The president is blocking ambassador nominations. I know, 299 more days, but that’s 299 too many
— President Duda responds to Tusk’s attack: it’s manipulation. The Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are solely responsible for the absence of Polish ambassadors
nt/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.