Polish president reiterates objection to "forced relocation" of refugees

Poland's President Andrzej Duda on Friday reiterated his country's objection to the mechanism of "forced relocation" of migrants.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference following a meeting with visiting Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor, during which both sides discussed NATO-Russia ties, migration crisis and regional security.

"We always had an unequivocal position saying that every person in need who comes to Poland will get help," Duda said. "But we have been expressing from the very beginning, both the government and myself, that we are against the forced relocation."

He said he could not imagine a situation in which someone would be made to stay in Poland with the use of force.

"Any people coming here seeking for shelter, would still be free people and can leave Poland anytime they want," Duda added, saying that the basic civil rights should be respected as far as migrants are concerned.

Regarding NATO-Russia relations, Duda said that the NATO-Russia dialogue should be held from the position of partners, and that strengthening of NATO's presence in both middle and southern Europe was crucial.

Duda said there is a "necessity of making a series of decisions during the NATO summit, connected with enlarging NATO forces in this part of Europe and other places."

Both presidents during their meeting also discussed cooperation between Slovenia and Visegrad Group, of which Poland is a part.

They also shared opinions on the Ukrainian crisis, situation in the Balkans and recent security challenges faced by the European Union. Endit