WARSAW: Poland’s conservative President Andrzej Duda on Sunday said his government should take steps to protect its citizens if it took in migrants as they could bring “possible epidemics”.
The statements are potentially embarrassing for former Polish premier Donald Tusk, who is now the EU president, and who has criticised the growing trend among European nations to erect new barriers to keep out refugees from Syria and elsewhere.
Duda said if the government was ready to accept migrants it should take measures “to ensure that Poles are well protected against epidemiological risks”.
“The security of citizens is the most important question... financial and physical security as much as health,” Duda told the TVN24 channel. His comments echo those of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the populist Law and Justice party of which Duda is a member. The party is widely tipped to win legislative elections due on October 25.