The building of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan, which the Polish authorities decided to close in October, can be transferred to Ukraine upon request, according to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, PAP reports.
“The lease on this property expires at the end of this month. Now we are talking about ten days. The current network of Ukrainian consulates, given the unprecedented growth in the number of Ukrainian citizens in Poland, does not reflect consular needs. Keep in mind that consulates deal with practical matters, they are all kinds of legislative acts, children are born, people die. And, of course, we would accept with the greatest sympathy such a request from the Ukrainian side.” – said.
Russia has three consulates general in Poland: in Poznan, Gdansk and Krakow. The consulate in Poznan was opened in 1946, the corresponding agreement was signed by the Embassy of the USSR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland. The institution suspended its activities from 1948 to 1960. In 1971 it became a consulate general. The Russian embassy is located in Warsaw.
Polish authorities decided to close the mission in Poznan in October. Sikorsky later explained the decision by saying that Russia was “fighting a hybrid war” and “trying to commit sabotage in Poland.” Ten employees will leave the Consulate General due to the closure. Sikorski also allowed the expulsion of the Russian ambassador in Warsaw Sergei Andreyev in case of escalation by Russia.
Official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova He called the incident “another hostile step” and promised a “painful response.”
