Polish FM says ambassadors will be appointed by future president
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said he would formally request President Andrzej Duda in writing to refrain from appointing ambassadors proposed by the foreign ministry due to a lack of cooperation and the upcoming presidential election.
Since March 2024, there has been a dispute between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and President Andrzej Duda over the appointment of new ambassadors. Sikorski decided at that time that over 50 ambassadors would end their missions, and several nominations submitted for approval by the previous socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) leadership of the ministry would be withdrawn. The president opposed these changes and commented on Sikorski’s decision, saying that "no Polish ambassador can be appointed or recalled without the president's signature."
In place of the ambassadors who left their posts but were not formally recalled by the president, diplomats appointed by the MFA have taken over, though due to the ongoing conflict, they hold the status of charge d'affaires rather than ambassadors.
"To be honest, I am frustrated by this situation. I made three agreements with the president and more than fulfilled them. The president's people are ambassadors in New York, London, Canada, Paris, Bucharest, the Vatican, and Beijing. And the president initially asked for four," Sikorski told a private broadcaster TVN24 on Saturday night.
"All three agreements were not honoured by the president," he said. "So I will formally ask the president in the coming days to refrain from acting on my proposals, and I will be withdrawing them."
"For the sake of the foreign service and the effectiveness of Polish diplomacy, it would be best if these ambassadors were appointed by the president’s successor," he added.
Duda has repeatedly said the appointment of ambassadors is his prerogative, which the current MFA does not respect. He argued that the foreign minister should consult proposed candidates with him at the beginning of the process. At the end of February, Duda told a private broadcaster Polsat News that an agreement had been reached and that Sikorski was "restoring the standard procedure, which begins with the president's preliminary approval of the candidates."
Presidential elections in Poland are scheduled on May 18. (PAP)
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