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Polish president doubts top diplomat's decision to shut down Russian consulate general

According to the head of state, such a measure could have been an element of Radoslaw Sikorski's election campaign rather than a real necessity

MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. Polish President Andrzej Duda has questioned the decision of the republic's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to close the Russian Consulate General in Poznan.

According to the head of state, such a measure could have been an element of Sikorski's election campaign rather than a real necessity.

"However, despite everything, the previous level of diplomatic relations was maintained, as other countries do as well. I hope there were real reasons for such a decision and that it was not driven by election campaign issues," Duda said on Radio Zet.

In his opinion, there is no doubt that Sikorski is going to take part in the presidential election in 2025 and is doing everything to promote his candidacy.

On October 22, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced the decision to shut down the Russian consulate general in Poznan, adding that its staff will have to leave the republic in the upcoming days. Until now, three Russian consulates operated in Poland: in Krakow in the south, in Poznan in the West and in Gdansk in the north. Three Polish consulates remain open in Russia so far: in Kaliningrad, in St. Petersburg and in Irkutsk. In addition, Sikorski speculated that the Russian envoy might be expelled in the future. Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Russia won’t hesitate to provide a response to Poland’s decision to shut down the consulate general in Poznan. She also noted that Moscow has once again witnessed a display of a "rampant Russophobia, multiplied by some morbid spy mania.".

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