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Poland to focus on international law at UN Security Council

PR dla Zagranicy
Agnieszka Łaszczuk 20.01.2018 10:19
Poland will focus on promoting international law as part of its UN Security Council presidency, the country’s Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz has said in an interview for public broadcaster TVP.
Recently appointed Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz speaks at a joint press conference after a meeting with Germany's acting Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Berlin, Germany, 17 January 2018. Photo: EPA/Hayoung JeonRecently appointed Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz speaks at a joint press conference after a meeting with Germany's acting Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Berlin, Germany, 17 January 2018. Photo: EPA/Hayoung Jeon

Apart from issues related to Poland’s non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the interview addressed an array of topics, including Polish-German relations, the migration issue and thorny relations with Brussels.

The interview comes two days after Czaputowicz paid his first visit to Germany to meet his counterpart Sigmar Gabriel in Berlin.

Poland in UN Security Council

Poland's goal in the UN and the Security Council is to strengthen international law, Czaputowicz said in the interview, devoted primarily to Poland’s role as a non-permanent member of the UNSC.

"We are one of the parties that decide on global security issues, (...) and we have the right to introduce an initiative," the minister said.

That involves "certain challenges," as Poland has to "change its outlook on global problems and prepare its diplomatic corps to take an active part in this debate," Czaputowicz told TVP.

Poland, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council since January 1, will take on the presidency of the UNSC for the month of May.

Polish-German relations

Discussing Polish-German relations following his visit to Berlin on Thursday, the minister stressed that "Germany is our main economic partner," while Poland’s economic outlook "depends on the health of the German economy."

According to Czaputowicz, although the two countries have differences in opinion, regarding for example Poland’s judicial reform, it should not interfere with the development of mutual relations.

"Our far-reaching interests are similar, we want a strong European Union, based on the four freedoms, competitive," the Polish foreign minister said in the interview.

Migration crisis

According to Czaputowicz, "there is some reappraisal in terms of the perception of the [migration] problem in Germany, in Western Europe."

Speaking about Poland’s position regarding the migration crisis, the minister said that the Polish government supports on-the-spot assistance, "which is necessary to enhance economic development and stability in those places from which migrants come to Europe - in Syria, Iraq and North Africa."

The minister said that Poland and Germany differ in terms of "the subsequent redistribution of migrants," but the Polish government’s argumentation "is met with increased understanding."

Czaputowicz said that both Poland and Germany are interested in "overcoming this crisis."

Article 7

"If there is a vote, I think that Poland has a good chance of not losing this vote," Czaputowicz said in the interview, speaking about the unprecedented step of triggering Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Poland

However, the Polish foreign minister noted that such a vote could end with "some divisions within the European Union."

"To respond to the expectations of the EU (...) we want to look for a compromise," Czaputowicz said, noting that Poland has "the right to reform its judiciary."

The Polish government believes that its judicial reforms do not "violate European Union or EU legal standards" but it will "seek an agreement" with Brussels, the minister said.

Source: TVP

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