Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau has accused German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of meddling in his country’s election campaign following a row over a visa affair.

The European Commission has said it is dissatisfied with Poland’s response after allegations that work visas have been issued en masse to citizens of African and Asian countries, with some applicants paying large sums of money for the visas through intermediaries.

Given a work visa to Poland would allow people to travel across the European Union, Scholz said over the weekend: ‘I don’t want people to be waved through from Poland and then have a discussion about our asylum policy afterwards.

It must be the case ‘that whoever arrives in Poland is registered there and undergoes an asylum procedure there,’ he added.

But Rau, from the right-wing ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party which is under intense pressure ahead of parliamentary elections on October 15, was not impressed.

‘The latest statement by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz violates the principles of the sovereign equality of states, which is the foundation of good neighbourly relations and friendly cooperation with Poland,’ he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, late on Sunday.

‘Statements in this regard indicate an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Polish State and the ongoing electoral campaign in Poland. In the name of good bilateral relations, I appeal to the German Chancellor to respect Poland’s sovereignty and refrain from statements that damage our mutual relations.’

German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said at a press conference in Berlin on Monday that it was quite normal for the chancellor to speak out in such a situation in which Germany is massively affected.

‘I cannot see any interference in any election campaign,’ he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency