“Poland’s interest requires that this matter finally be resolved,” said Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, referring to the issue of ambassadorial nominations. The politician announced that another meeting will take place between President Karol Nawrocki and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
On Tuesday, Bogucki was asked on Radio Zet about Monday’s meeting between the president and the foreign minister, which lasted about an hour and a half. After the meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór said it had taken place “in a good, constructive atmosphere, in the spirit of agreement”.
The main topic of the talks was reportedly the staffing of diplomatic missions and ambassadors; according to earlier announcements by the Chancellery of the President, Sikorski and Nawrocki were also to discuss the possible accession of Poland to the Peace Council, a body inaugurated last Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump during the 56th World Economic Forum in Davos. The issue of cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the president was also to be addressed.
Bogucki stated on Tuesday that Poland’s raison d’état and interests require that the matter of ambassadors “finally be resolved”.
“Will it succeed? I don’t know, but we have to try, we have to take such actions (…) There will be another meeting,” he announced.
As he noted, the date has not yet been set, but he emphasized that it is important for the relationship between the president and the Foreign Ministry to function “in the basic scope concerning Poland’s international policy”.
In March 2024, the foreign minister decided that more than 50 ambassadors would end their missions, and that several candidatures submitted for approval by the previous leadership of the ministry would be withdrawn. The then-president Andrzej Duda emphasized that “no Polish ambassador can be appointed or dismissed without the president’s signature”. In place of ambassadors who left their posts but were not formally recalled by the president at that time, diplomats designated by the Foreign Ministry were sent, who do not hold the status of ambassadors but rather chargés d’affaires.
President Nawrocki in particular opposes the nomination as ambassadors of the current head of the mission in Washington, Bogdan Klich, and Ryszard Schnepf, chargé d’affaires in Italy; Bogucki reiterated his opposition to the staffing of these missions on Tuesday.