Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that when it came to the crisis with Iran, the United States was taking action on its own and emphasized that Poland has a duty to protect its own soldiers.
Morawiecki addressed the Polish Parliament on Wednesday to report on the unrolling events in the Middle East. He assured members of the public that the situation is being monitored and that the Polish government will do everything it can to help bring about the de-escalation of the conflict.
He said Poland was in close touch with its partners in NATO and that in his opinion, the events taking place in the Middle East amounted to an “exchange of blows” and that the situation is “unstable”.
Morawiecki also appealed to the opposition to cooperate with the government in its quest to de-escalate the crisis, saying he regards the situation as “far from the one we would wish for” in the Middle East.
He assured MPs that the situation with Polish soldiers present in Iraq was under control and being monitored on an hourly basis so that appropriate decisions could be taken regarding their safety and continued presence in Iraq.
Morawiecki was responding to some opposition voices that had called for Poland to withdraw its troops from Iraq and others who wanted Poland to condemn the U.S. action against Iran. Any such condemnation would mean Poland having no chance of being a part of the efforts to de-escalate the crisis, said the prime minister.
Poland’s National Security Bureau gives its assessment
After the meeting of the presidential National Security Bureau (BBN), Paweł Soloch, the head of the BBN, said that “Polish soldiers in Iraq are safe”.
He added that the Iranian rocket attack was not directed at Polish soldiers and that it was an attack on US bases.
“The situation is under full control,” Soloch assured.
