German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has congratulated right-wing nationalist Karol Nawrocki on winning Poland’s presidential election on Sunday.
“German-Polish friendship is a matter close to my heart. Let us strengthen the friendship between our peoples together,” said Steinmeier.
“We must work closely together on the basis of democracy and the rule of law in order to secure Europe’s future in security, freedom and prosperity,” he added.
He invited the president-elect to Berlin.
Nawrocki’s victory could in fact complicate ties between Berlin and Warsaw, as Nawrocki vowed during his campaign to raise the issue of World War II reparations, which has long dogged German-Polish relations.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during his inaugural visit to Warsaw, emphasized that the new conservative-led government in Berlin sees the issue of World War II reparations as legally closed, but Warsaw does not share this view.
The euroskeptic Nawrocki, who as president will have considerable powers, might also use them to block efforts by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk‘s government as his predecessor Andrzej Duda has done in the past.
