Polish President Affirms Poland’s Support for Expanding EU Membership

Doha: HE President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda affirmed Poland's support for expanding the European Union, making Europe multinational and with equal rights, voicing his rejection of the idea of Europe turning into a federal system in terms of political union, however supporting the idea of economic union in Europe. In a panel discussion within the Qatar Economic Forum, which kicked off earlier Tuesday, His Excellency said that the priorities of the Polish presidency for the European Union in the coming year will focus on strengthening ties between the bloc and the United States of America, given the strategic nature of this bilateral cooperation, expressing Warsaw's support for other European countries to join the Union. His Excellency highlighted the importance of Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkan countries joining the European Union, noting that immediately after the outbreak of war against Ukraine, Warsaw sent a letter to the European Commission demanding that Ukraine be accepted into the European Union, as there were great doubts about this matter at the time. In June of the same year, Ukraine was accepted as a candidate to join the European Union, stressing the importance of this approach for the safety and security of Europe. His Excellency also stressed the need for the "free world" to work to support Ukraine to regain its lands, in a way that upholds the rule of international law and confronts any flagrant violation of international charters and agreements. He pointed out that this is what the peace summit that will be held in Switzerland soon will focus on, in which the importance of the rule of law will be discussed, not only at the level of Eastern or Central Europe but also regionally and internationally. In another aspect of his speech at the session, HE the President of the Republic of Poland appreciated the American support for his country, pointing to the role of the United States in enhancing the security of Eastern European and Baltic countries, and it is also considered t he first donor country to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, His Excellency warned that Russia is preparing for a new attack on Ukraine during the summer season, noting that he raised this issue during his last visit to Washington in March, where the current American administration confirmed its support for Europe, and this is what the next administration will do whether it was a republican or a democrat. Regarding whether Poland would be vulnerable to any Russian attack in the future, HE President Andrzej Duda said that he did not say whether Poland would be the next country, rather, he is doing his best to ensure that this does not happen. He ruled out the occurrence of such a scenario for many reasons, but he did not hide the possibility of any change occurring in the Baltic countries, Finland, or even Poland and other countries that were in the eastern camp during the communist era, due to the current events between Moscow and Kyiv. Source: Qatar News Agency