MFA: Poland's ambassador to NATO to end his mission at the end of May

On Thursday (May 23), the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs approved the candidacy of Jacek Najder for the position of Poland's ambassador to NATO.

Najder is set to assume this role for the second time, having previously served as Poland's permanent representative to NATO from 2011 to 2016. He would be replacing Tomasz Szatkowski.

Later on Thursday, President Andrzej Duda announced that he would not sign off on the appointment of a new ambassador, accusing the government of violating procedures and not consulting him about the candidate.

At a press briefing on Friday, Wroński said that Ambassador Szatkowski "will not be dismissed, (but rather) his mission will come to an end".

"Ambassador Szatkowski has been informed of this, as so has the president," the spokesperson said, adding that "former ambassador Najder, who has passed the hearing before the parliamentary committee, is to replace him".

Wroński was asked when Szatkowski would return to Warsaw. He replied that Szatkowski would likely return to the country at the end of May, "probably on the 31st, and he will be replaced by Jacek Najder".

He also assured that Poland's foreign minister constantly engages in dialogue with the president and encourages cooperation. "We believe that both sides should be concerned about the well-being of Poland and about Polish diplomatic posts being well-staffed," Wroński added.

President Andrzej Duda emphasized on Thursday that Najder's candidacy was neither consulted with nor accepted by him, which he considers a breach of the existing procedure. He added that Poland is primarily represented before NATO by Poland's president, and that he expects he would be the one to present a candidate for Poland's ambassador to NATO to the prime minister.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday that the current ambassador to NATO would be recalled to the country regardless. He added that if the government decides that someone should cease being an ambassador, then it has reasons to do so. Tusk also assured that he respects the president's constitutional powers.

During Thursday's meeting with Polish journalists in London, Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski expressed surprise at the president's reaction.

He reminded that not only had he officially informed the president about Najder's candidacy, but he had also personally discussed this matter with him. "Moreover, the president, on his own volition, complimented my candidate, Mr Ambassador Jacek Najder," Sikorski added.

The MFA chief also said he did not understand president's astonishment also because ambassadors and representatives in the foreign ministry serve for three to four years. He also recounted that during one of the meetings, Duda said he had no objections to recalling those who have served for more than four years.