During a hearing in the US Senate on Tuesday, Mosbacher said she was “aware of recent concerns about respect for democratic institutions in Poland” and added that she intended to voice America’s strong support for “essential freedoms” if confirmed as ambassador.
Mosbacher said, as quoted on the foreign.senate.gov website: “I am aware of recent concerns about respect for democratic institutions in Poland — freedom of speech, the independence of the judiciary, and the rule of law — and I am ready to voice our strong support for these essential freedoms if I am confirmed as ambassador.”
The 71-year-old nominee told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that she grew up in the Chicago area surrounded by Polish culture and around hard-working Polish immigrants, “deeply faithful, industrious people.”
She referred to the words of President Trump in Warsaw last year that the United States benefitted from a strong Poland.
“This means a Poland that is sovereign and independent with strong constitutional freedoms; a Poland that is militarily secure; and a Poland that is economically robust and resilient,” Mosbacher said.
She said America recognised “the sacrifices the Poles have made ‘for our freedom and yours’ as they have fought in solidarity with us and have died in support of our shared values and our shared history.”
She also said Poland “is an important military leader in NATO” and “one of the few NATO countries that meets, and plans to exceed, its obligation of spending 2.0 percent of GDP on defence.”
She said that a “more secure Poland means a more energy-independent Poland” and that “Poland and its neighbours should not be held hostage to a single supplier of energy.”
Mosbacher declared that her top priority if confirmed "will be to encourage American businesses to expand trade between our nations.”
During the hearing, Mosbacher criticised a Polish anti-defamation law and also spoke in favour of Poland accepting a certain number of refugees, according to a report by Polish Radio’s Washington correspondent, Marek Wałkuski.
Mosbacher's claim that the Polish anti-defamation law has triggered a wave of anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe was met with criticism from a delegation of Polish government officials on a visit to Washington, Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.
The news agency said Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Bartosz Cichocki would raise the issue during a meeting with the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, Wess Mitchell, on Wednesday.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, foreign.senate.gov