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Nawrocki: Poland Must Stay "Ready to Defend the Western Border"
(MENAFN) Poland's newly elected President Karol Nawrocki has ignited a fierce political firestorm by asserting the nation must stay "ready to defend the western border" against Germany, triggering swift condemnation from the country's top diplomat.
Speaking at a centennial commemoration of the 1918 anti-German uprising this past Saturday, Nawrocki invoked historical wounds from decades of partition, describing how Poles endured "severe German imperialism" marked by "aggressive" campaigns designed to "take away our culture and national heritage."
The president characterized Poland as a "national community open to the west, but also a national community ready to defend the western border of the republic." Emphasizing nationalist priorities, Nawrocki—who secured victory this year backed by the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party—declared that "we must do everything we can to ensure that Poland remains Poland."
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski responded without delay, dismissing any notion of a German menace. "As long as Germany is in NATO and the EU, and is governed by Christian or social democrats, there is no threat to our western border," Sikorski stated.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk amplified the rebuke, framing the controversy as emblematic of "the essence of the dispute between the anti-European bloc… and our coalition. A deadly serious dispute… over our values, security, sovereignty. East or West." Nawrocki countered sharply, observing that "it's hard to believe that we graduated from the same department – history."
The PiS party, with which Nawrocki maintains close ties, has consistently portrayed Germany as an existential danger to Polish autonomy. In 2023, party chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski cautioned that the EU is advancing a "German plan" that threatens the "annihilation of the Polish state." He has labeled Tusk—drawing a comparison to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler—as orchestrating a "pacification operation" aimed at obliterating Poland's independence and "turn us into farmhands for people from Western Europe, especially Germany."
These tensions trace back to the devastating Nazi occupation throughout World War II, prompting Warsaw to recently seek as much as $1.3 trillion in reparations. Berlin has dismissed the demand, maintaining the legal issue was resolved long ago.
Speaking at a centennial commemoration of the 1918 anti-German uprising this past Saturday, Nawrocki invoked historical wounds from decades of partition, describing how Poles endured "severe German imperialism" marked by "aggressive" campaigns designed to "take away our culture and national heritage."
The president characterized Poland as a "national community open to the west, but also a national community ready to defend the western border of the republic." Emphasizing nationalist priorities, Nawrocki—who secured victory this year backed by the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party—declared that "we must do everything we can to ensure that Poland remains Poland."
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski responded without delay, dismissing any notion of a German menace. "As long as Germany is in NATO and the EU, and is governed by Christian or social democrats, there is no threat to our western border," Sikorski stated.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk amplified the rebuke, framing the controversy as emblematic of "the essence of the dispute between the anti-European bloc… and our coalition. A deadly serious dispute… over our values, security, sovereignty. East or West." Nawrocki countered sharply, observing that "it's hard to believe that we graduated from the same department – history."
The PiS party, with which Nawrocki maintains close ties, has consistently portrayed Germany as an existential danger to Polish autonomy. In 2023, party chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski cautioned that the EU is advancing a "German plan" that threatens the "annihilation of the Polish state." He has labeled Tusk—drawing a comparison to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler—as orchestrating a "pacification operation" aimed at obliterating Poland's independence and "turn us into farmhands for people from Western Europe, especially Germany."
These tensions trace back to the devastating Nazi occupation throughout World War II, prompting Warsaw to recently seek as much as $1.3 trillion in reparations. Berlin has dismissed the demand, maintaining the legal issue was resolved long ago.
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