“The fact that President Duda continues to block ambassadorial nominations in key countries like the U.S., Israel, Ukraine, and at NATO is extremely irresponsible,” the Polish Prime Minister said via social media.
According to Tusk, repeated efforts to convince President Duda to change his mind and end the blocking of new Polish ambassador nominations have been unsuccessful, despite numerous attempts to explain the importance of these appointments.
“I know, only 299 days left, but that’s 299 days too many,” Tusk remarked, referencing the time remaining in President Duda's term.
The Polish Prime Minister concluded by urging the president to prioritize the safety and security of Polish citizens in his decisions.
In response to the Prime Minister’s post on X, President Andrzej Duda reminded the public that he alone holds the authority to appoint ambassadors and that he had not yet removed the ambassadors to the U.S. or Ukraine. He also accused Tusk of manipulating the facts.
“The ambassadors to the U.S. and Ukraine remain in their posts because I have not recalled them. Only the president can do that, and I have never made such a decision. The problem is that Donald Tusk and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs forced them out of their embassies and are preventing them from carrying out their duties. The absence of Polish ambassadors in the U.S., Ukraine, and several other countries is entirely Donald Tusk and the Foreign Ministry’s responsibility,” Duda wrote.
Ongoing conflict over ambassadorial appointments in Poland: analysis
The conflict over ambassadorial appointments in Poland has been ongoing since spring. In March 2024, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski decided to end the diplomatic missions of more than 50 ambassadors.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed hope that the country's top leaders would cooperate on the issue.
According to Polish state news agency PAP, under Polish law, ambassadors are appointed and recalled by the president at the request of the foreign minister, with the approval of the Prime Minister.
As a result of the conflict over ambassadorial nominations, diplomats appointed by the Foreign Ministry, but lacking ambassadorial status due to the impasse, have replaced ambassadors who left their posts but were not formally recalled by the president.
These diplomats are serving as chargé d'affaires instead of full ambassadors. This has been the case in the United States, where Bogdan Klich replaced Marek Magierowski, and in Ukraine, where Piotr Łukasiewicz replaced Jarosław Guzy.
In Israel, where there has long been no Polish ambassador, the Foreign Ministry’s candidate, Maciej Hunia, has yet to receive President Duda’s approval.
“Appointing and recalling ambassadors is not just a right but also a duty,” emphasized Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in response to the debate between the president and the prime minister during a press conference on Thursday.
According to the Polish FM, Andrzej Duda has initiated a “constitutional strike” on this issue.
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Source: IAR/PAP/X/@donaldtusk/@AndrejDuda/@tvp_info/@sikorskiradek
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