Polish seat at Malta summit to be empty?
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
06.11.2015 13:37
There could be no representative from Poland at a migration summit being held on 12 November on the island of Malta.
Refugees headed for Scandinavia wait on a bus at the seaport of Rostock, Germany, before catching the ferry to Trelleborg, Sweden, late 05 November 2015. Europe is contending with the biggest migration flows since World War II, with more than 750,000 migrants and asylum seekers arriving by sea this year. Many of them come from war-torn Syria. Photo
The summit should be attended by either the President or the Prime Minister of the countries taking part.
However, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced 12 November as the first date of the first sitting of the Sejm lower house of parliament and the Senate following the 25 October general election.
“12 November is an unfortunate coincidence as it marks the first meeting of the new Parliament,” Sejm speaker Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska told Polish Radio.
“As a result, there will likely be neither the Polish President, nor Prime Minister at the [Malta] Summit,” Kidawa-Błońska said.
This summit will take place in Valletta, Malta, on 11-12 November.
“The conference will build on existing cooperation processes between Europe and Africa, particularly the Rabat and Khartoum processes on migration, and the EU-Africa Dialogue on Migration and Mobility,” the European Council wrote in a statement. (rg/rk)