“Poland is a wonderful country. We like it very much. We are friends of Poland. The president is doing a great job. So that’s why we invited it,” Trump told reporters on Thursday before departing for Las Vegas.
He was responding to a question about why the United States had invited Poland to attend G20 meetings in place of South Africa.
Thursday’s gathering in Washington was the first G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank chiefs in which Poland took part with the rights of a full member.
Poland was represented by Finance Minister Andrzej Domański and central bank governor Adam Glapiński.
This year Poland is taking part in G20 meetings, including the April finance track and the leaders’ summit in December, effectively replacing South Africa, though Pretoria remains formally a member of the group.
The shift followed a US decision not to invite South Africa because of a dispute over the fate of white farmers there and Washington’s accusations of alleged “genocide.”
Previously, Polish ministers had attended G20 meetings only as specially invited guests.
Announcing this year’s US presidency of the G20, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in December that Poland, "a nation that was once trapped behind the Iron Curtain but now ranks among the world's 20 largest economies, will be joining us to assume its rightful place in the G20."
He added: "Poland’s success is proof that a focus on the future is a better path than one on grievances. It shows how partnership with the United States and American companies can promote mutual prosperity and growth."
Rubio also said at the time that South Africa's economy "has stagnated under its burdensome regulatory regime driven by racial grievance" and "corruption."
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Michał Owczarek.