Poland Fires All Russian Diplomatic School Graduates From Foreign Service, Minister Says

themoscowtimes.com, Sept. 10 2018 - 17:09; original article contains links

Image from article, with caption: Poland's Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz

Poland’s Foreign Ministry said it has dismissed hundreds of Soviet-era staffers and graduates of a top-flight diplomatic school in Moscow over the past two years.

Moscow and Warsaw are at odds over the Soviet Union’s role in World War II. While Russia has slammed Poland’s removal of Soviet-era war monuments as illegal and immoral, many Poles today say they view the Soviet presence in the country as an occupation.

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz told reporters Monday that his institution took in 435 new employees since 2016.

“The ministry’s senior management has been changed almost 100 percent. Particularly, there is currently no one who is a communist secret services associate or Moscow’s MGIMO graduate,” Czaputowicz said.

Czaputowicz was reportedly appointed in January due to his predecessor’s unwillingness to renew the ministry personnel and fire old cadres.

Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) is considered to be one of Russia’s elite academic institutions, training future government leaders and Kremlin functionaries, as well as businesspeople, journalists and thinkers.

Reuters contributed reporting to this article.