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Polexit not an option, PM says

PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki 07.09.2017 13:21
Poland will never agree to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Beata Szydło said on Thursday.
PM Beata Szydło addresses Poland's ambassadors in Warsaw on Thursday. Photo: PAP/Paweł SupernakPM Beata Szydło addresses Poland's ambassadors in Warsaw on Thursday. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

Contrary to what some claim, "there is no talk of a Polexit,” she said while addressing an annual meeting of Poland’s ambassadors in Warsaw.

Some opposition politicians have claimed that, amid a series of clashes between Warsaw and Brussels, Poland’s ruling conservatives are steering the country on a course fundamentally at odds with the EU.

“I want to be very clear here: The government will never agree to talk or think about Poland leaving the European Union," Szydło said.

"There is no such talk going on and our government will not allow such a discussion to take place," she told the meeting.

Szydło also said that the European Union was “at a turning point” after Britain’s decision to leave the bloc. The Brexit decision “closes a chapter in the history of the European project,” according to Szydło.

She also said that Poland has become an active participant in the debate on the future of the European Union.

She told those gathered that some EU member states were being “treated in a way that could undermine the basic principles of the bloc’s functioning, such as solidarity.”

She also said she hoped the European Union would reach an agreement on the relocation of migrants.

The problem of refugees should be solved at its source, Szydło said, declaring that Poland was ready to take part in such EU efforts.

At the same time, she said her government would not agree to any compulsory relocations, especially as she argued “the current trends” show that economic migrants are more numerous than refugees among those arriving on Europe's shores.

Szydło also said that Poland was interested in seeing the EU reform itself “in line with its treaties.”

The annual meeting of Polish ambassadors in Warsaw started on Monday and will last until Friday. Topics include security, migration, terrorism and the future of the EU after Brexit. (gs/pk)

Source: IAR

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