The foreign affairs committee of the Polish lower house of parliament backed Wilczek after his candidacy was presented by Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk.
Szynkowski vel Sęk hailed Wilczek's "diplomatic skills and vast experience," including a five-year term as Polish envoy to the United States.
Wilczek, a humanities professor and former lecturer at the University of Warsaw, said Britain was the world's fifth-largest economy and remained a global superpower despite its exit from the European Union and the coronavirus pandemic.
However, "London is in the midst of a transition period and our bilateral relations need to be renegotiated," he added.
Opportunity to tighten links
Wilczek told the parliamentary committee that the UK was a key destination for Polish exports, especially food products and various services.
Moreover, he said both countries were "working together on cybersecurity" and "taking a similar view of Russian policy and the Belarus border crisis," as shown by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's recent meeting with Britain's Boris Johnson.
All these factors, coupled with Poland's membership of the European Union, mean Warsaw "has an opportunity to forge closer links with London," Wilczek told lawmakers.
As ambassador to Britain, he is set to replace Arkady Rzegocki, who recently became Head of Foreign Service at the foreign ministry in Warsaw.
Meanwhile, Wilczek's role in Washington is due to be taken over by Poland's former envoy to Israel, Marek Magierowski.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP