Poland will likely back out from a United Nations migration pact, following Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the United States, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday.
"It is very likely that ... we will not be part of the global pact," Morawiecki said during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Warsaw.
Speaking during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Warsaw, Morawiecki said Poland's sovereign rules concerning borders protection and control of the migration flows are country's absolute priority.
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was approved in July by all 193 member nations except the United States, which backed out last year. The pact, due to be adopted in December, addresses issues including why people migrate, how to protect them and how to integrate them into new countries.
The summit of all 28 EU leaders during which a hard-fought migration deal was reached, ended with agreement to tighten further the EU's external borders and spend more money on projects in Africa intended to deter migration.
Poland, along with Hungary and Czech Republic, has taken a tough stand against resettling migrants, putting it at odds with the European Union, but striking a chord with voters by arguing that irregular immigration threatens European stability.
U.N. Special Representative for International Migration Louise Arbour has said moves to shun the pact were regrettable and mistaken, adding the compact simply aimed to improve the management of cross-border movements of people.
Symbolic part
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended a short memorial service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw on Friday.
Merkel was visiting Warsaw for talks with Morawiecki. Speaking at a news conference before the memorial, she said both countries wanted to see agreement on an orderly divorce process between Britain and the European Union.
The chancellor's visit is part of regular German-Polish bilateral meetings. Relations between Poland and Germany have sunk to a decade low since ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) took power in 2015.
PiS lawmakers have revived the issue of war reparations for Germany's occupation of Poland during World War Two, though the Polish government has not made a direct claim against Germany.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 International, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24