President Andrzej Duda’s refusal to sign off on government plans to replace a swathe of ambassadors has raised concerns that Poland’s ability to conduct effective diplomacy is being undermined.
An uneasy cohabitation that has seen tensions between the right-wing president and the administration of centrist Prime Minister Tusk erupted into open conflict when in March the foreign ministry in Warsaw announced that more than 50 Polish envoys would be withdrawn from their posts.
The foreign ministry said at the time that a “better, professional” approach was needed by Polish diplomats.
But the head of the president’s office, Marcin Mastalerek, insisted that Duda would not tolerate the “wholesale recall of ambassadors, without a specific reason.”
Arch-rivals
Tusk’s pro-EU government came to power last December after a parliamentary election that ended eight years of rule by its arch-rival, the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Duda, meanwhile, became head of state in 2015 after being backed by PiS. His term in office expires next year. He has made it clear that, until then, he intends to exercise his prerogatives, which include the power to veto legislation and to appoint or dismiss ambassadors.
Foreign policy as a whole, though, is the domain of the government, which wants to install envoys who share its comparatively liberal stance.
Last Thursday, the Polish parliament’s foreign affairs committee adopted a motion calling on Duda to “fulfill his obligations” under the constitution and appoint new ambassadors nominated by the Tusk administration.
The committee said it was concerned about “the effectiveness of Polish diplomacy around the world”, especially at a time of security threats resulting from Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Wirtualna Polska website reported last week that Marek Magierowski, Poland’s man in Washington, is demanding nearly 1 million zlotys (over EUR 230,000) in compensation for the time he would have remained in his post had he not been withdrawn.
‘Scandalous’ demand
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, blasted the demand as “scandalous”. He added: “Service to Poland cannot simply be a way for someone to get rich.”
Duda has said he will not agree to Magierowski, who was once the head of the president’s press office, being replaced as ambassador to the US by ex-defense minister Bogdan Klich.
The latter is a political veteran who has been picked by the Tusk government to maintain good relations with the country Warsaw sees as the main guarantor of its security.
Duda’s resistance means that Klich will run Poland’s diplomatic post in Washington as a chargé d’affaires, rather than as a fully-fledged ambassador.
Poland has around 100 embassies. As of mid-July, there were 23 Polish diplomatic missions around the world headed by chargés d'affaires, state news agency PAP reported, citing the foreign ministry in Warsaw.
Row over ambassador to NATO
In another row over envoys, Duda has refused to appoint a replacement for Tomasz Szatkowski, Poland's former ambassador to NATO. Szatkowski, who had been appointed to the role when PiS was in power, was recalled by the government last month and did not attend the July 9-11 NATO summit in Washington.
Prime Minister Tusk has claimed that Poland’s military counterintelligence service suspected Szatkowski of mishandling classified documents, contact with foreign security services and obtaining unauthorized financial benefits. Szatkowski said the accusations were false.
Meanwhile, a further dispute could soon erupt between the government and the head of state over Poland’s choice of European Commissioner.
Under a law – initiated by Duda himself – that came into force last year, Polish nominees for senior posts in EU institutions have to be accepted by the president. And Duda may not like the government’s picks.
Neither side in the power struggle over ambassadors has given any sign it is prepared to budge. It appears that Tusk’s administration will only get its way if a government-friendly head of state replaces Duda after a presidential election expected next May.
The foreign ministry said at the time that a “better, professional” approach was needed by Polish diplomats.
But the head of the president’s office, Marcin Mastalerek, insisted that Duda would not tolerate the “wholesale recall of ambassadors, without a specific reason.”
Arch-rivals
Tusk’s pro-EU government came to power last December after a parliamentary election that ended eight years of rule by its arch-rival, the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Duda, meanwhile, became head of state in 2015 after being backed by PiS. His term in office expires next year. He has made it clear that, until then, he intends to exercise his prerogatives, which include the power to veto legislation and to appoint or dismiss ambassadors.
Foreign policy as a whole, though, is the domain of the government, which wants to install envoys who share its comparatively liberal stance.
Last Thursday, the Polish parliament’s foreign affairs committee adopted a motion calling on Duda to “fulfill his obligations” under the constitution and appoint new ambassadors nominated by the Tusk administration.
The committee said it was concerned about “the effectiveness of Polish diplomacy around the world”, especially at a time of security threats resulting from Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Wirtualna Polska website reported last week that Marek Magierowski, Poland’s man in Washington, is demanding nearly 1 million zlotys (over EUR 230,000) in compensation for the time he would have remained in his post had he not been withdrawn.
‘Scandalous’ demand
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, blasted the demand as “scandalous”. He added: “Service to Poland cannot simply be a way for someone to get rich.”
Duda has said he will not agree to Magierowski, who was once the head of the president’s press office, being replaced as ambassador to the US by ex-defense minister Bogdan Klich.
The latter is a political veteran who has been picked by the Tusk government to maintain good relations with the country Warsaw sees as the main guarantor of its security.
Duda’s resistance means that Klich will run Poland’s diplomatic post in Washington as a chargé d’affaires, rather than as a fully-fledged ambassador.
Poland has around 100 embassies. As of mid-July, there were 23 Polish diplomatic missions around the world headed by chargés d'affaires, state news agency PAP reported, citing the foreign ministry in Warsaw.
Row over ambassador to NATO
In another row over envoys, Duda has refused to appoint a replacement for Tomasz Szatkowski, Poland's former ambassador to NATO. Szatkowski, who had been appointed to the role when PiS was in power, was recalled by the government last month and did not attend the July 9-11 NATO summit in Washington.
Prime Minister Tusk has claimed that Poland’s military counterintelligence service suspected Szatkowski of mishandling classified documents, contact with foreign security services and obtaining unauthorized financial benefits. Szatkowski said the accusations were false.
Meanwhile, a further dispute could soon erupt between the government and the head of state over Poland’s choice of European Commissioner.
Under a law – initiated by Duda himself – that came into force last year, Polish nominees for senior posts in EU institutions have to be accepted by the president. And Duda may not like the government’s picks.
Neither side in the power struggle over ambassadors has given any sign it is prepared to budge. It appears that Tusk’s administration will only get its way if a government-friendly head of state replaces Duda after a presidential election expected next May.
Source: TVP World, PAP, Gazeta Prawna, Wirtualna Polska, RMF FM, FT
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