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Polish FM slams ‘rule of law’ letter from US senators

PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea 15.02.2016 12:43
Poland’s foreign minister has accused three US senators of a “lack of knowledge” after they sent a letter to Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło voicing concerns over the rule of law in this country.
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski. Photo: EPA/ANDREAS GEBERTPolish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski. Photo: EPA/ANDREAS GEBERT

The letter, sent on 10 February by Republican John McCain, and Democrats Ben Cardin and Richard J. Durbin, who call themselves “friends of Poland”, urged the Polish government “to recommit to the core principles of the OSCE and the EU, including the respect for democracy, human rights, and rule of law that has made Poland such a strong and vibrant member of the Community of Democracies and a stalwart ally of the United States in the heart of Central Europe”.

Polish Foreign Minister Waszczykowski told reporters in Brussels: “These statements, these letters stem from a lack of knowledge about what is happening in Poland, with some inspiration from people who do not wish Poland well.”

Prime Minister Szydło replied to the three senators' letter on Sunday.

Szydło wrote that their letter “surprised” her, and added that she thought their concerns arose from a “lack of reliable information about recent events in Poland”.

In a European Parliament debate in January, Prime Minister Beata Szydło fended off concerns that her new government has eroded democracy in Poland.

Szydło rebutted criticism of changes to the media and judiciary introduced by her Law and Justice (PiS) government, which came to power after a landslide win in Poland’s 25 October general elections.

In the first such European Parliament debate on the rule of law in an EU member country, Szydło argued that Law and Justice came to power as a result of democratic elections. “The Polish electorate has voted for change,” she said. (rg/pk)

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