New Polish PM will honor old arms contracts, easing Korea's fears

Poland's new prime minister assured parliament that his administration will honor previously signed arms contracts, alleviating concerns about the possibility of Korea's mutibillion dollar deals with its most interim government falling through.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, left, and newly appointed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk attend the cabinet swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Poland’s new prime minister, Donald Tusk, said his government will make defense a priority and honor previously signed arms contracts, in response to concerns that multibillion dollar contracts, including Korea's might fall through.

Tusk was sworn in by Poland’s president on Wednesday (local time) after winning the vote of confidence on Tuesday, receiving 248 votes in his favor and 201 votes against.

Tusk set out his government’s policy plans in a speech to parliament on Tuesday, which included a pledge to honor previously signed arms contracts, according to Reuters.

His pro-European vision included strong support for Ukraine and an emphasis on defense and border control.

“Poland will regain its position as a leader in the European Union. Poland will build its strength, the position it deserves,” said Tusk, a former president of the European Council. He promised to “bring back billions of euros” of EU funds from Brussels, which had been frozen under the previous government due to concerns over the rule of law.

“We will ... loudly and decisively demand the full mobilization of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war,” he added.

He also mentioned last-minute spending by the previous Law and Justice (PiS) party, saying that “in recent days, with great ease, you [PiS] started making decisions worth many billions of zlotys, but you completely didn't think about how to secure the financing for them.”

Members of Tusk’s administration had previously said “agreements signed by the interim Law and Justice (PiS) government may be invalidated” and that deals signed after Oct. 15 would be subject to “analysis and evaluation.” This caused concern in Korea, as Hanwha Aerospace had signed a second defense contract worth 3.45 trillion won ($2.66 billion) to supply arms to the Polish Armaments Agency on Dec. 4.

Prime Minster Tusk did not set a clear time frame for the arms deals mentioned in his speech, so it remains unclear if the contracts signed after the elections held on Oct. 15 will be included in his pledge.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]