Muslim nations that refuse to recognize Kosovo are making a big mistake, says PM Albin Kurti

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Updated 17 February 2022
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Muslim nations that refuse to recognize Kosovo are making a big mistake, says PM Albin Kurti

  • ‘Russia-Ukraine escalation might make Serbia more aggressive but we are not afraid’
  • NATO and America are here to stay, and we will be victorious in any future conflict

PRISTINA: Fourteen years ago, the Republic of Kosovo declared its independence and became the world’s newest country. Backed by its main ally, the US, and protected by a UN-mandated NATO presence, Kosovo enters its 15th year of independence facing several challenges — and some clear and present dangers, too.

Despite the backing of some of the world’s biggest and most influential states, Kosovo is still not part of the UN and is recognized by fewer than 100 of the 193 UN member states. Even though it is located in the heart of Europe, and enjoys huge support from the EU, it is still not a member of the union and Kosovars do not enjoy visa-free travel across the continent.

The main cause of most of Kosovo’s pains is the deep-rooted historic rift with its northern neighbor, Serbia. Both countries were part of the former Yugoslavia and, following its break-up, endured a bloody decade of fighting in the Balkans during the 1990s.

Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo or apologize for the atrocities of the 1998-1999 Kosovo War, which only ended after NATO intervened. The current standoff and mutual non-recognition prevent both countries from joining the EU, five members of which still do not officially recognize Kosovo.

Previous Kosovar leaders attempted to engage in dialogue with Serbia. However, since assuming office in March 2021, Prime Minister Albin Kurti has signaled repeatedly that talks with Belgrade are not a priority.

Kosovo Factfile

* ‘Kosovo’ means ‘field of blackbirds’ in Serbian.

* Has a population of 1.87 million.

* Declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, 2008.

* More than 40% of the population is under 25 years old.

* Occupies an area of 10, 887 square kilometers.

* Main languages are Albanian and Serbian.

* Majority of the population is Muslim.

“We did not want to neglect dialogue with Serbia but I cannot have it as priority number one,” he told Arab News during an exclusive interview at his office in Pristina. “I said, from the outset of this government, that jobs, justice and the COVID-19 pandemic are our top three priorities. Number four could be the dialogue.

“This dialogue, which we are approaching in a constructive and creative manner with different proposals, is a dialogue about the status of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo and Serbia do not recognize each other, so the solution is mutual recognition.”

There are other elements that further complicate the possibility of a normalization of relations between the countries and their mutual accession to the EU.

READ MORE

As Kosovo celebrates its 14th independence day, Europe’s newest country — and one with the continent’s youngest population — has much to be proud of. Read more here.

To start with, there are the dark shadows of the past. A few months after he was elected prime minister, Kurti spoke about the possibility of reviving plans to sue Serbia for genocide in an international court, and rejected some Western calls for Kosovo’s minority Serb population to be allowed to vote in a Serbian referendum that Pristina considers “unconstitutional.”

Another issue is that officials in Kosovo accuse their Serbian counterparts of being much more interested in being in the orbit of Russia rather than Europe.

“Serbia has close cultural, historical and military links with Moscow,” said Kurti. Asked how this close relationship between Belgrade and Moscow might affect his country if war breaks out between Russia and Ukraine, Kurti said it might push Serbia to become “more aggressive.” But while he said that Pristina is “following the situation very carefully,” he added: “We are not afraid.”

Nevertheless, some critics of recent US foreign-policy decisions believe Kosovo has a number of reasons to be concerned, given that in recent years neither Washington nor NATO have proven to be very good friends to many of their traditional allies in times of need.

I think the people of Kosovo, but also people in the Balkans and in Europe, should know more about the reforms and the progress in Saudi Arabia. We want to strengthen cooperation with the Kingdom.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti

Former US President Barack Obama’s so-called “red lines” did little to deter Russia from seizing control of Crimea in 2014. More recently, as part of the Biden administration’s pivot toward ending “forever wars,” the world watched the painful scenes at Kabul Airport as many Afghans desperately trying to flee the country after Washington effectively handed the country back to the Taliban, 20 years after it waged a war to bring democracy to the country and end the rule of the same extremist group.

However, Kurti strongly believes that the NATO presence in Kosovo is there to stay but that if push comes to shove, Kosovars are capable of defending themselves.

“I think that Kosovo has great people with great will and courage, on one hand, and on the other hand, I think that our defense and security forces and NATO, especially the US, are here to stay,” he said.

“And we are certain that we will be victorious in any kind of future crisis that might occur, but which we do not want to have.”

Kurti is so confident of NATO’s commitment to his country that he believes it is likely Kosovo will join the alliance as a full member much sooner than it is granted EU membership status.

“I believe that this is the case for two reasons,” he said. “Firstly, in the EU we have five non-recognizers out of 27, whereas in NATO we have four non-recognizers out of 30. So, one non-recognizer less in NATO than in EU.

“But in addition, the criteria and standards that you have to fulfill to join NATO are not as complex as they are for joining the EU. So, it is realistic to expect that we will first join NATO and then EU.”

In addition, NATO does not require its members to be member states of the UN or the EU, so provided that Pristina can convince Spain, Greece, Romania and Slovakia to recognize it, the prime minister’s vision might become a reality in the next few years, observers argue.

Relations with the Muslim world

The members of the EU that do not recognize Kosovo might argue that they have taken this position to avoid encouraging separatist movements within their countries. What is perhaps more remarkable is that fact that as things stands, only slightly over half of the members of Organization of Islamic Cooperation recognize Kosovo, which is a Muslim-majority country. Leading the way among the Gulf recognizers are moderate Muslim countries, such as regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

How does Kurti feel about the fact that so many fellow Muslim states do not recognize his country, particularly a major Islamic nation such as Iran?

“We think that it’s a big mistake that some of the countries with Muslim-majority populations are not recognizing Kosovo,” he said. “I think that they have been misinformed by Serbia. And some of them do this because they keep some close links with the Russian Federation.

“However, I would urge all the countries in the world, for the sake of long-term peace, sustainable security and recognizing the rights of people to freedom and self-determination, to recognize the independence of Kosovo.

“In a way, those who do not recognize the independence of Kosovo, with or without intention, they fall prey to supporting Serbia from the time of the militias that committed genocide in Kosovo.”

A particularly paradoxical twist in this tale is the non-recognition of Kosovo by the Palestinian Authority. One might think that the official representatives of a people who have for seven decades protested and fought against the illegal occupation by Israel would be among the first to stand in solidarity with Kosovo.

Yet the PA does not recognize Kosovo and its former leader, Yasser Arafat, was criticized for his close ties with former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic at the turn of the century.

Meanwhile, although Israel and Kosovo only formally recognized each other a little over a year ago Tel Aviv’s policy towards Kosovo has long been non-aggressive. Even before the formal recognition, which had been lobbied for by the administration of former US President Donald Trump, Israel supported Kosovo’s campaigns to gain membership of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.




Kurti, seen here in his Pristina office being interviewed by Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas, said Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE are ‘terrorism actions.’ (AN Photo/Ziad Alarfaj)

Even so, Kosovo’s announcement last year of its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel shocked many Muslim countries, given the sensitivity of the issue in the Muslim world.

All of this begs the question of what the current stance in Pristina is on the Palestinian cause and the PA.

“I think that, just as we know how much the Palestinian people have suffered, they should not neglect the suffering of the Albanians in Kosovo, who survived Serbia’s genocide,” said Kurti.

He denies, however, that the Trump-era decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was in any way a form of retaliation against the official Palestinian position of non-recognition of Kosovo.

“That has nothing to do with our stance toward the Palestinian people and their cause,” he said. “We want to have good relations with Palestine, with the Palestinian Authority and with Palestinians as people.”

Last year, Kosovo joined several Arab and Muslim states in designating the Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah as a terrorist group. When asked about the background to that decision, Kurti said it is “not difficult to recognize terrorists and violent extremists.”

He added: “In line with our beliefs and values, on which we are building our country and on which we are orienting future generations, we made such a decision in Kosovo, and we are part of the global coalition against violent extremism and terrorists.

“We also condemned all the attacks and activities of Hezbollah, and also of Daesh.”

Kurti also said he was appalled by the recent attack by the Houthis in Yemen on Abu Dhabi airport and their ongoing strikes against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, adding that such acts can never be tolerated.

Does this mean that he agrees that the Houthis should be designated as a terrorist group?

“Yes, I think all these attacks on civilians are terrorist actions,” he said.

Kosovo, as well as Bosnia, has had its own issues with home-grown terror; a number of its citizens lest the country to join Daesh a few years ago. Kurti said there is no place in his country for tolerance of extremist ideology.

“There were a couple of hundred people from Kosovo who unfortunately joined these absolute wars,” he said. “Some of them never came back and for those who did come back, we have done some rehabilitation programs. Some are also serving sentences in prison.

“There had been some manipulation of certain individuals. I can imagine that was due to their lack of educational background, and perhaps unemployment and social misery, and we have to have a certain sensitivity toward the situation. However, this will never stop us from harshly condemning violent extremism.”

‘Kurtinomics’ and Saudi Vision 2030

At the start of our interview, Kurti congratulated the Saudi leadership and people on the occasion of the newly announced annual “Founding Day,” which will be celebrated in the Kingdom on Feb. 22 each year. Throughout our discussion, he appeared up to speed on the most recent developments in Saudi Arabia.

“I think the people of Kosovo, but also people in the Balkans and in Europe, should know more about the reforms and the progress in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We want to strengthen cooperation with the Kingdom. It’s a very rich country, both in its culture and history, but likewise in its natural resources and economic development.”

The reforms Kurti referred to are those that are taking place under Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision 2030 plan. It includes the diversification of the economy to reduce its dependence on oil; the creation of jobs for Saudi youths, who form the majority of the population; the introduction of previously unimaginable social freedoms and religious reforms; and a relentless crackdown on corruption.

Meanwhile, Kurti and his party triumphed at the election in Kosovo last year based on a “jobs and justice” campaign that focused on the creation of opportunities for young people and women, and a promise to tackle corruption.

It is not enough not to be corrupted; you should also be incorruptible. And I think that our government is a cabinet of ministers who are well-educated, good professionals — people who do not want to get rich from politics.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti

He sees the similarities in the recent developments in the two countries and an opportunity for them to enhance cooperation. To this end, he invited Riyadh to seize the opportunities and invest heavily in the emerging environment in Kosovo.

“With our government we are fighting corruption,” he said. “There is no tolerance for corruption. And we are also growing our economy. For example, last year we registered two-thirds higher exports than the year before. Budget revenues increased by one third.

“Likewise, business turnover increased, while foreign direct investment increased by more than 50 percent. These figures show that Kosovo is progressing — and the best way for more progress is to invest in the already existing progress.”

But how exactly does his brand of “Kurtinomics” work? He said his reforms are all about giving people hope and a reason to believe in them.

READ MORE

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti condemned the continuing series of Houthi attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, and more recently the UAE, agreeing that such assaults reveal the Houthis to be a terrorist group. Read more here.

“When people are hopeful, they would rather spend than save in our economy if it is growing,” said Kurti. “Because when you expect rainy days in the future, you’d rather save than spend. Then when people see the government is not corrupt, they are more ready to pay taxes and other contributions. That’s why budget revenues in Kosovo, tax revenues, increased by a third without changing fiscal policy.

“And the last thing is that tax administration started to have greater discipline than before. Fighting corruption and crime helps not only the common values of the people but also the health of the economy. On the other hand, our diaspora, which is huge and especially concentrated in German-speaking Europe, sent even more remittances back home than before.

“We have also established a commercial court and in this way we want to create a good environment for business. Kosovo has the euro as a currency and a very young population; the average age is 30 years, even though we are an ancient people. We are located at the heart of the Balkans, close to European markets. And at the same time, Kosovo is a country that never forgets its friends and wants to have good relations with all peace-loving nations in the world.”

Regarding the fight against corruption, Kurti admitted his government has a mountain to climb. “Corruption in Kosovo was high in the past and has not been eradicated altogether,” he said. “But it was quite concentrated at the top, so there was no trickle-down effect. Corruption was concentrated at the top and now we stopped it, precisely, at the top, with the change of government through democratic elections. This is the first point.

“The second point is that it is not enough not to be corrupted; you should also be incorruptible. And I think that our government is a cabinet of ministers who are well-educated, good professionals — people who do not want to get rich from politics.

“We say to all our friends and activists: Whoever likes to get very rich, try your luck and skills in the private sector. In public service of state institutions, you are supposed to serve. So, serving is our vocation, to the best of our abilities and knowledge.”

Looking to the future and the opportunities that lie ahead for Kosovo, Kurti highlights the potential of the information and communications technology sector, wood and metal processing, agriculture and renewable energy. He added that in his role as prime minister he looks forward to actively engaging in promoting these sectors.


King Charles to attend Canada’s state opening of parliament

Updated 58 min ago
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King Charles to attend Canada’s state opening of parliament

  • Charles, along with his wife Queen Camilla, will visit Canada from May 26 to May 27

LONDON: Britain’s King Charles will attend Canada’s state opening of parliament in Ottawa, Buckingham Palace said on Friday, in a clear show of support for the former British colony of which he is still head of state.
Charles, along with his wife Queen Camilla, will visit Canada from May 26 to May 27, the palace said.
The monarch’s attendance comes after his recent acknowledgment that he is also the king of Canada, a country that US President Donald Trump has made clear he has designs on.
The visit to Canada would be Charles’ second overseas trip this year, after his visit to Italy where he held a private meeting with Pope Francis before the pontiff’s demise.


German spy agency brands far-right AfD as ‘extremist’, opens way for closer surveillance

Updated 02 May 2025
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German spy agency brands far-right AfD as ‘extremist’, opens way for closer surveillance

  • A 1,100-page experts’ report found the AfD to be a racist and anti-Muslim organization
  • The BfV agency needs such a classification to be able to monitor a political party

BERLIN: Germany’s spy agency on Friday classified the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as “extremist,” enabling it to step up monitoring of the country’s biggest opposition party, which decried the move as a “blow against democracy.”
A 1,100-page experts’ report found the AfD to be a racist and anti-Muslim organization, a designation that allows the security services to recruit informants and intercept party communications, and which has revived calls for the party’s ban.
“Central to our assessment is the ethnically and ancestrally defined concept of the people that shapes the AfD, which devalues entire segments of the population in Germany and violates their human dignity,” the BfV domestic intelligence agency said in a statement.
“This concept is reflected in the party’s overall anti-migrant and anti-Muslim stance,” it said, accusing the AfD of stirring up “irrational fears and hostility” toward individuals and groups.
The BfV agency needs such a classification to be able to monitor a political party because it is more legally constrained than other European intelligence services, a reflection of Germany’s experience under both Nazi and Communist rule.
Other organizations classified as extremist in Germany are neo-Nazi groups such as the National Democratic Party (NDP), Islamist groups including Islamic State, and far-left ones such as the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany.
The agency was able to act after the AfD last year lost a court case in which it had challenged its previous classification by the BfV as an entity suspected of extremism.
The move follows other setbacks the far-right across Europe has suffered in recent months as it seeks to translate surging support into power. They include a ban on France’s Marine Le Pen contesting the 2027 presidential election after her embezzlement conviction, and the postponement of Romania’s presidential vote after a far-right candidate won the first round.
“VERY SERIOUS. After France and Romania, another theft of Democracy?” wrote Matteo Salvini, deputy Italian prime minister and leader of far-right party, the League, on X.
The AfD denounced its designation as a politically motivated attempt to discredit and criminalize it.
“The AfD will continue to take legal action against these defamatory attacks that endanger democracy,” co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said in a statement.

A BAN?
German parliament could now attempt to limit or halt public funding for the AfD — but for that authorities would need evidence that the party is explicitly out to undermine or even overthrow German democracy.
Meanwhile, civil servants who belong to an organization classified as “extremist” face possible dismissal, depending on their role within the entity, according to Germany’s interior ministry.
The stigma could also make it harder for the AfD, which currently tops several polls and is Germany’s most successful far-right party since World War Two, to attract members.
The BfV decision comes days before conservative leader Friedrich Merz is due to be sworn in as Germany’s new chancellor and amid a heated debate within his party over how to deal with the AfD in the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament.
The AfD won a record number of seats in the national election in February, coming in second behind Merz’s conservatives, which in theory entitled it to chair several key parliamentary committees.
A prominent Merz ally, Jens Spahn, has called for the AfD to be treated as a regular opposition party to prevent it casting itself as a “victim.”
However, other established parties, and many conservatives have rejected that approach — and could use Friday’s news to justify blocking AfD attempts to lead committees.
“Starting today, no one can make excuses anymore: This is not a democratic party,” said Manuela Schwesig, premier of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and senior member of the Social Democrats (SPD), who are about to form a government with the conservatives.
Under the new government, the authorities should review whether to ban the AfD, SPD leader Lars Klingbeil told Bild newspaper.
SPD’s outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday called for a careful evaluation and warned against rushing to outlaw the party.
Created in 2013 to protest the euro zone bailouts, the euroskeptic AfD morphed into an anti-migration party after Germany’s decision to take in a large wave of refugees in 2015.


NATO chief Rutte floats including broader security spending to meet Trump defense target

Updated 02 May 2025
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NATO chief Rutte floats including broader security spending to meet Trump defense target

  • Rutte’s proposal could allow the US president to declare a win at a NATO summit in The Hague
  • NATO’s current defense spending goal is at least 2 percent of GDP

BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte has proposed alliance members boost defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and commit a further 1.5 percent to broader security-related spending to meet Donald Trump’s demand for a 5 percent target, people familiar with the idea told Reuters.
Rutte’s proposal could allow the US president to declare a win at a NATO summit in The Hague in June while not committing European nations and Canada to a 5 percent pledge on military spending that many see as politically and economically unviable.
NATO’s current defense spending goal is at least 2 percent of GDP, met by 22 of its 32 members. But leaders across NATO say that goal is no longer sufficient, as they see Russia as a much greater threat after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The definition of what would fall into the broader category of defense-related spending would still have to be agreed. Officials said it might include spending to upgrade roads and bridges to support the transport of heavy military vehicles.
Asked whether NATO could confirm that Rutte had made the proposal, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart did not reply directly. She said Rutte had “repeatedly said that increased defense spending is needed in order to meet the capability targets that allies will soon agree and to ensure fairer burden sharing among allies.”
“This will likely involve not only higher investment in defense according to the agreed NATO definitions but also additional investment in related areas like infrastructure and resilience,” Hart said in an email.
“The Secretary General is working in close consultation with allies to prepare decisions on this for our Summit in The Hague,” she said.


India’s new deepwater port announces presence on global maritime map

Updated 02 May 2025
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India’s new deepwater port announces presence on global maritime map

  • Port will triple India’s cargo handling capacity and reduce foreign transshipment dependence
  • Critics say project comes at high environmental and human cost

NEW DELHI: India on Friday registered its presence on the global maritime map with the inauguration of its first deepwater multipurpose seaport at Vizhinjam in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the Vizhinjam port, built at a cost of $1.04 billion under a public-private partnership with business conglomerate the Adani Group and the Kerala government holding the majority stake.

Late last year, the port began limited operations and received MSC Turkiye — one of the world’s largest cargo ships with a capacity of more than 24,000 containers — making it the first port in India to handle a vessel of that size.

The port is to be built in four phases by 2028 at a total cost of 180 billion Indian rupees ($2.11 billion). In full-page advertisements in several national and local dailies a day before the inauguration, the Adani Group — considered close to Modi — said the port is only 10 nautical miles from global shipping routes and will have an annual capacity of up to 5 million TEUs (20ft equivalent units).

TEU is a unit of measurement used to quantify the capacity of container ships and terminals. It represents the volume of a standard 20-foot shipping container and is a common way to express the cargo-carrying capacity of vessels and facilities.

“The existing capacity of this transshipment hub will triple in the coming time,” Modi said in his inaugural address.

“So far 75 per cent of the Indian transshipment used to take place outside the country. This used to cause huge revenue loss to the country.

“Now this situation is going to change.

“Now the money of this country will be utilized for the service of the nation. The money which used to go outside will now bring new economic opportunities for the people of Kerala and Vizhinjam.”

India has 13 major ports and 217 non-major ports, but none of them are deepwater multipurpose transshipment ports, which include terminals where cargo containers are shifted from one vessel to another before reaching their final destination. With India until now lacking infrastructure to handle large vessels, close to 75 percent of its transshipment cargo went through external ports like Colombo, Singapore and Jebel Ali, UAE.

Industry bodies see a big opportunity with the opening of the Vizhinjam port.

“It’s a mother port. One of the kinds in the country. It is a fully automated port, and the port can handle any ship, the biggest in the world. It is hardly 10 nautical miles from the international sea route. It’s very conveniently set. It’s a God-given gift to the country,” S.N. Raghuchandran Nair, president of the Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Arab News.

“Cargos originating from this place will cut down the time by almost two weeks, it is also going to save $600 to $1,000 per container in view of the handling charges and various things. This is going to be a big saver. You will save 2,000 to 3,000 crore rupees ($2.5 million to $3.5 million) by way of foreign exchange every year once this port opens fully.”

The Vizhinjam port has been controversial from the beginning and faced protests from fishermen and environmentalists over displacement and harm to coastal and marine life.

Kerala journalist K.A. Shaji made a documentary, “Stolen Shorelines,” highlighting the displacement of fishermen and environmental damage.

He questions the need for the port.

“Actually, there is a big port in Colombo and international movements of freight are through Singapore, Dubai and Colombo, there is no need for the big vessels to come to Vizhinjam, which is in a corner of Kerala and it has to take a deviation from the main route,” Shaji told Arab News.

“I feel in the highly competitive world of international freight movement Vizhinjam can do very little, but environmental and socio-economic costs are very high.”

He said thousands of families have been affected by the port, directly and indirectly.

“Directly more than 450 fishermen’s families have been impacted and indirectly over 4,500 families have been impacted as coastal erosion and change of the direction of the waves by the impact of the project destroyed most of the houses and livelihood.”


Polish right-wing presidential candidate visits Trump

Updated 02 May 2025
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Polish right-wing presidential candidate visits Trump

  • Nawrocki has the backing of the right-wing opposition party Law and Justice
  • “An immensely important meeting... with US President D. Trump at the White House,” Nawrocki said

WARSAW: Poland’s nationalist presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki said on Friday he had an “important” visit with US President Donald Trump at the White House, drawing accusations of election interference from some governing politicians.
Nawrocki has the backing of the right-wing opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) and outgoing President Andrzej Duda and is polling second two weeks ahead of the May 18 ballot.
The frontrunner, pro-European Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, has the support of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO).
“An immensely important meeting... with US President D. Trump at the White House and joint talks on the strategic alliance as well as future cooperation,” Nawrocki wrote on his Facebook page.
He added a campaign hashtag and photos of the two men posing at the White House during the Thursday visit.
The White House also posted the photos to X and said: “President Donald J. Trump welcomes Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki to the Oval Office.”
Nawrocki separately told TV Republika that “President Trump said, ‘You will win’... I understood that as him wishing me success in the upcoming elections.”
Some lawmakers from the governing coalition took to X on Friday to criticize the meeting.
MP Roman Giertych accused Trump of being Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “friend” and of “brazenly interfering in the elections in Poland.”
Fellow lawmaker Tomasz Trela wrote: “Mr Nawrocki, Trump will not be choosing our president for us, just like he didn’t choose Canada’s prime minister.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals won Canada’s election on Monday after a campaign defined by threats from Trump.
Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian, has been campaigning on the slogan of “Poland first, Poles first.”
While Nawrocki does not question Poland’s support for neighboring Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, he has denounced the generous benefits accorded to Ukrainians refugees.
He also wants Poland to boost its troop numbers and has called for controls on the border with Germany to keep out migrants.