Poland recalls ambassador to Prague over coal mine comments

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is recalling its new ambassador to Prague after he criticized the country’s approach to a dispute with the Czech Republic over a state-run coal mine. In an interview released Thursday by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Ambassador Miroslaw Jasinski said Poland had showed a “lack of empathy, a lack of understanding and a lack of will to open a dialogue” with the Czech Republic. The open-pit lignite mine is located near the border between the two countries, and Czech authorities have said it negatively affects the environment and drains water from local villages. A Polish government spokesperson tweeted late Thursday that the ambassador’s remarks were “extremely irresponsible.”