Current:Home > StocksPoland accuses Germany of meddling its its affairs by seeking answers on alleged visa scheme-InfoLens
Poland accuses Germany of meddling its its affairs by seeking answers on alleged visa scheme
View Date:2024-12-23 14:20:59
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s foreign minister accused Germany of trying to interfere in his country’s internal affairs after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Warsaw needs to clarify allegations that Polish consulates in Africa and Asia sold temporary work visas to migrants for thousands of dollars each.
Poland’s right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice, is facing questions about the alleged scheme ahead of an Oct. 15 national election in which it is seeking a third term in power.
Scholz, whose government is under pressure to do more to limit migration to Germany, called on neighboring Poland on Saturday to provide clarification of what was happening.
“I don’t want people to just be waved through from Poland and only for us to have a discussion about asylum policy afterward,” Scholz said in comments reported by the German news agency dpa.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau retorted late Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, that Scholz’s statement “violates the principles of the sovereign equality of states.”
Rau said he appealed to Scholz “to respect Poland’s sovereignty and refrain from statements that damage our mutual relations.”
Rau himself is under political pressure at home because the alleged visa scheme operated out of the Foreign Ministry.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said last week that Germany was considering establishing short-term border checks with Poland and the Czech Republic to help control the number of migrants from entering the country.
Faeser told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that setting up temporary police checks at border crossings would help Germany prevent the smuggling and trafficking of people.
She added that the increased border checks would need to be combined with random police checks that are already being carried out.
Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic belong to Europe’s visa-free zone, commonly known as the Schengen Area.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (7571)
Related
- Spirit Airlines cancels release of Q3 financial results as debt restructuring talks heat up
- Encino scratched from Kentucky Derby, clearing the way for Epic Ride to join field
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Vegas PDA Will Have You Feeling So High School
- Amazon reports strong 1Q results driven by its cloud-computing unit and Prime Video ad dollars
- Jennifer Garner Details Navigating Grief 7 Months After Death of Her Dad William Garner
- Hawaii's 2021 Red Hill jet fuel leak sickened thousands — but it wasn't the first: The system has failed us
- These 17 Mandalorian Gifts Are Out of This Galaxy
- US House votes to remove wolves from endangered list in 48 states
- Secret Service Agent Allegedly Took Ex to Barack Obama’s Beach House
- Wally Dallenbach, former IndyCar driver and CART chief steward, dies at 87
Ranking
- Judge weighs the merits of a lawsuit alleging ‘Real Housewives’ creators abused a cast member
- Trump says states should decide on prosecuting women for abortions, has no comment on abortion pill
- Conservative states challenge federal rule on treatment of transgender students
- Former pirate Johnny Depp returns to the screen as King Louis XV. But will audiences care?
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- Melissa McCarthy Responds to Barbra Streisand Asking Her About Using Ozempic
- North Carolina bill compelling sheriffs to aid ICE advances as first major bill this year
- Your Dog Called & Asked For A BarkBox: Meet The Subscription Service That Will Earn You Endless Tail Wags
Recommendation
-
Nearly 80,000 pounds of Costco butter recalled for missing 'Contains Milk statement': FDA
-
Oregon Man Battling Cancer Wins Lottery of $1.3 Billion Powerball Jackpot
-
Wally Dallenbach, former IndyCar driver and CART chief steward, dies at 87
-
Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Details Her Dating Life After Kody Brown Breakup
-
Auburn surges, while Kansas remains No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
-
US judges have rejected a map that would have given Louisiana a new majority-Black House district
-
These 17 Mandalorian Gifts Are Out of This Galaxy
-
2-year-old child dies, another child hurt after wind sends bounce house flying in Arizona