Poland only accepts returning Poles under migration policy: PM
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
21.09.2018 15:09
Poland's only immigration policy is to make it possible for Poles who reside abroad to return to their home country, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said.
PM Mateusz MorawieckiPhoto: Tracz/KPRM (Public Domain)
In a meeting with Lithuanians, Ukrainians and Belarusians of Polish descent, Morawiecki said the policy was aimed mainly at those who in recent years decided to move to Europe's west.
"We want as many of them as possible to return," the prime minister said.
He added that he also wanted to see the return of those Poles who found themselves abroad after when Poland's borders changed.
Meanwhile, under the government's "Powroty" (Returns) policy, some 10,000 "Polish cards" were issued last year to Poles who were exiled to or born in countries east of Poland.
On Thursday, at an informal summit of European Union leaders in Salzburg, Morawiecki said Poland would not accept any refugees and that the country's only migration policy was for accepting returning Poles, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.
However, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians live and work in Poland, albeit mainly on temporary visas.
Meanwhile, a special edition of an annual jamboree of Polish expats and foreigners of Polish descent is being held in Warsaw as Poland marks 100 years of regained independence after more than a century of partitions and foreign rule. (vb)
Source: IAR