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PM Kopacz calls for cooperation with incoming President Duda

PR dla Zagranicy
Jo Harper 06.08.2015 07:09
Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz in a televised address on Wednesday said she is ready to cooperate with the new president Andrzej Duda.
Andrzej Duda. Photo: PAP/Jacek BednarczykAndrzej Duda. Photo: PAP/Jacek Bednarczyk

Kopacz asked Duda to convene the Cabinet Council as the government wants to present its plans for the coming months. Parliamentary elections are on 25 October.

She also thanked the outgoing President Bronisław Komorowski for his “five years' work for Poland."

"On behalf of the government of the Republic I want to assure you that we are ready to cooperate with President Andrzej Duda," the PM said.

After taking an oath before the National Assembly Duda begins his five-year presidency on Thursday.

"Congratulations to the new president. I would also ask him to use his constitutional powers to convene the Cabinet Council, during which we will be able to present the intentions of the government in the coming months, as well as talk about the most important matters for Poland," Kopacz said.

"The new president is the head of our common state and all its citizens, both those who voted for him and those who supported his rivals," she said.

"We believe that although we differ politically, we share the same values that today define Polish patriotism, pride in Poland, both for its history and its recent achievements, support for European integration, respect for freedom and democracy," she went on.

"In Poland there are a lot of problems, but we have achieved much. We were able to make good use of funds from the European Union, we managed better than others to deal with the global crisis, we managed to strengthen our army and have managed to avoid the fate of some countries that will pay a terrible price for irresponsible promises made by politicians. In all this credit goes to Bronisław Komorowski," Kopacz added.

Church and state

In his final interview before leaving office, Komorowski spoke with news channel TVN24.

“All my promises have been realised,” he said. “Now Andrzej Duda must confirm what he writes and says in deeds.”

“I am a pupil of Tadeusz Mazowiecki [Poland's first non-communist PM 1989-1991]. I followed him most of the way in politics, and as part of the road is also the belief that a separation of church and state is needed. Friendly, not hostile, but separate,” he added.

“If the extreme right is attacking me, and I'm not accepted by the extreme left, that's good. This means that I’m going down the right path.”

The outgoing president also referred to the exchange of letters with the head of the Episcopate, Stanisław Gądecki, who criticised him for supporting a recent law on in vitro fertilisation.

“In the election campaign I said that I'm afraid about a medieval tendency to find solutions that mix state and religion. That is a worrying trend – all the more so as nowhere else in Europe is this kind of situation arising.”

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama thanked Komorowski in a letter for his leadership in “supporting a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine,” the head of the presidential press office, Joanna Trzaska-Wieczorek, said. (jh/rk)

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