Polish government, presidency clash over Macron visit arrangements

The government of Poland has become embroiled in a political dispute over arrangements for an upcoming visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, amid disagreements involving the presidency and the prime minister’s office.

A representative of Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Rafał Leśkiewicz, has criticised Prime Minister Donald Tusk, alleging that he sought to prevent a meeting between Nawrocki and Macron. Leśkiewicz made the remarks in an interview with the publication Onet.

Macron is due to visit Poland on April 20. During the visit, he is scheduled to travel to Gdańsk and meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. However, the official program does not include a meeting with the Polish president, which Nawrocki’s representative described as a missed opportunity and attributed to Tusk’s intervention.

“The Chancellery of the President informed about the intention of President Karol Nawrocki to meet with President of France Emmanuel Macron. The organiser of the visit is the government. Prime Minister Tusk very much wanted the meeting between both presidents not to take place. Therefore, he insisted that the visit take place in Gdańsk rather than Warsaw,” Leśkiewicz said.

A spokesperson for Poland’s Foreign Ministry stated that the ministry did not issue an invitation for the president to meet the French leader.

Leśkiewicz further accused the Tusk government of “dividing society.”

“This is another example of the government’s disregard for the president. Disregard for Poles, the building of walls and the division of society. These actions are contrary to Poland’s interests. Using visits by foreign heads of state for internal political struggle is a manifestation of an extremely unserious attitude by the ruling authorities and contempt for Poland’s image on the international stage,” he said.

By Vafa Guliyeva