New Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski suggested Sunday that Syrian refugees pouring into Europe could be trained to form an army and return to “liberate” their homeland.
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“The question of solidarity must be defined clearly”, Szydlo said in her policy speech. She did not specify the means. But she seemed to indirectly criticize Germany by saying that solidarity does not cover an “export of problems” that a few countries brought on themselves.
Poland’s Europe minister said on Saturday that Warsaw would demand security guarantees before accepting its allocation of refugees under a European Union quota system, in reaction to deadly attacks in Paris.
Szydlo vowed Poland will be more “active and assertive” in the worldwide arena, with the US being its chief partner in ensuring security. Political opponents said her plans were a threat to the state budget.
Poland’s new right-wing, eurosceptic government was sworn in Monday signalling it would take a hard line on Europe’s biggest migrant crisis since World War II – even floating the idea of sending Syrians back to “liberate” their country, APA reports quoting AFP.
The speech was followed by a discussion between respective parties, after which the voting took place.
Also Wednesday President Andrzej Duda, who won the presidency on a Law and Justice ticket, drew opposition ire after he pardoned a minister in Szydlo’s Cabinet, Mariusz Kaminski, who was convicted of abuse of power while head of the anti-corruption body in 2007.
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Poland’s new prime minister Beata Szydlo said in a policy speech on Wednesday that her incoming government will raise family benefits, lower the retirement age and increase the personal tax allowance within the first 100 days since taking over power.
