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New procedures needed after ‘military object’ found in Polish forest: president

17.05.2023 18:30
The Polish president has said that his country will need “to upgrade procedures, including NATO procedures” after a “military object,” possibly a stray Russian missile, was found in a forest near the north-central city of Bydgoszcz in April. 
Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks to reporters in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks to reporters in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. KPRP/Jakub Szymczuk

Andrzej Duda made the remark during a summit of European leaders in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported. 

At a media briefing, the president was asked if had read a defence ministry report on the discovery of the “military object.”

Presidential aide Łukasz Rzepecki told reporters on Saturday that the defence ministry report “reached the Presidential Office on Friday.”

Rzepecki added, as quoted by the PAP news agency: “After analysing the report, the president will take appropriate decisions if he deems them necessary."

'I have drawn my conclusions': president

The president told reporters in Reykjavik he had read the report “immediately” and “in depth” before handing the document to experts at his National Security Bureau (BBN) for further analysis. 

Duda said: “I have drawn my conclusions regarding this case … but the report is classified and cannot be discussed in detail with the media.”

He urged politicians “to avoid discussing classified matters publicly.”

He elaborated: “Obviously, we now have some ‘unfriendly’ countries around us, to put it mildly, and their officials don’t need to know what we know and what we are discussing.”

Referring to the defence ministry report, the president said that one of his conclusions was that “there are problems with procedures, because the procedures were drawn up a long time ago.”

'Some aspects are functioning well, while others less so'

He added that the security situation created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “is unprecedented.”

Duda said that the Polish Army and the country’s politicians "haven’t found themselves in such a situation for decades.”

He added: “It’s a question of cooperation, of working together to accomplish various tasks, of civilian control over the army as well as of purely military matters.”

According to the president, “some aspects are functioning well, while others less so, or failed to function.”

'Room for improvement in NATO procedures

Duda stated: “We are looking into this. We’ll be upgrading this, including NATO procedures.”

The president said that, according to experts at his BBN agency, “there is also room for improvement in NATO procedures.”

Duda added that he spoke to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg by phone on Monday and told him that “Poland will put forward proposals to improve procedures.”

The Polish defence ministry said on Friday that both Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had received its report on the discovery of the “military object.”

The report found “clear evidence” of “negligence” on the part of the Polish Army’s Operational Commander, the defence ministry said in its report, according to the PAP news agency. 

Auditors open probe

Marian Banaś, CEO of Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK) has told reporters that his agency on Monday began reviewing the performance of the defence ministry “and several other agencies” following the discovery of the “military object.”

Banaś said, as quoted by the PAP news agency: ”The situation is very sensitive and dangerous. A Russian rocket capable of carrying nuclear weapons entered our territory."

 Wednesday is day 448 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP, wprost.pl