MFA chief Sikorski names two key traits Poland's president should have

At a press conference in Olsztyn, Radosław Sikorski was asked how he sees himself as a "candidate for a presidential candidate." "I will refrain from answering that," the minister replied. He added, however, that "in these times of war, Poland should have a president with experience in international security."

In his opinion, the head of state should also have "the ability to unite Poles with both liberal and conservative sensitivities." "We need more national agreement, not less," he announced.

The Civic Coalition has not yet officially indicated a candidate for president in next year’s election. Radosław Sikorski is mentioned as one of the potential candidates alongside the Mayor of Warsaw, Deputy Chairman of Civic Platform Rafał Trzaskowski. Donald Tusk has announced that he would not be running for the presidency.

On Thursday, during a meeting with residents of Olsztyn, Radosław Sikorski was asked about the threat of populists coming to power in the largest European countries—France and Germany—where polls indicate a growing popularity of right-wing, populist, and Euroskeptic parties, such as Marine Le Pen's National Rally in France or Alternative for Germany (AfD).

"In that sense, we are an inspiration because populism has already ruled us, and we defeated it. They ask us: 'How did you do it?' It’s not just about France or Germany. Brexit was the result of populism," Sikorski emphasized, recalling that the slogan of those supporting the UK’s exit from the European Union was "take back control," which, in his view, was analogous to slogans used by populists in Poland.

Populism is the promise of finding easy solutions to difficult problems," stated the foreign minister. "The themes are the same everywhere: migration, culture wars, issues of war and peace, identity matters, but also women’s safety and technological progress," he listed.

According to him, "populist parties arise when the so-called mainstream underestimates or ignores an issue that people consider important—such as migration." Sikorski stated that in such situations, "a wise establishment identifies the problem and, as far as possible, solves it through civilized means." "That’s exactly what we are doing in Poland," he assured.

The minister warned that populism "is a threat to the European order because, packaged with what populists have identified as a real grievance, one can sometimes receive deranged things." "They can sometimes be hazardous, but in a democracy, in the end, we politicians must do what people want," he added.

Minister Sikorski also referred to the ongoing migration crisis at the external borders of the EU, including the border between Poland and Belarus as well as with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

"Putin and Lukashenko are sending us people from—literally—Middle Eastern prisons. They do not have the right to enter the European Union. We have the right to decide who enters and who does not," he stated.

He recalled that the current agreement between Poland and Russia regarding small border traffic at the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast has been suspended for several years. "I don’t see any reason at this moment to reinstate that agreement. This is not the time. As long as Putin is waging imperial wars, we will not introduce any facilitation," he announced.