President Andrzej Duda and his wife began their multi-day visit to New York by laying a wreath at the Katyn Monument in Jersey City.
The ceremony took place on September 17, on the anniversary of the criminal attack on Poland in 1939. The symbolic monument depicts a Polish soldier who was stabbed in the back with a bayonet.
I must admit that when there were discussions about moving the monument to another place, I also took action to support the efforts of our compatriots to keep it in this very important place. Let us not forget that it is also a monument to our artist Andrzej Pityński, Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (…), but also an extraordinary image of the suffering of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time when Soviet Russia attacked us and the Calvary of the East.
– said the president.
The presidential couple was joined at the ceremony by scouts, students from Polish schools and Poles who received the information that Andrzej Duda was in New York.
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MEETING WITH POLAND
The president flew to the United States to attend the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. But first he met with representatives of the Polish community in the Queens borough.
The ceremony, which attracted nearly a thousand people, took place at Christ The King High School. Andrzej Duda presented state awards for outstanding contributions to the Polish community in the United States. The President honored, among other things, Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland from the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn Witold Mroziewski And Father Krzysztof Wieliczko. Those who received the Gold Cross of Merit included: Alderman of New York Robert Holden.
Together with his wife, the president also donated state flags to Polish institutions in New York’s consular district, which are celebrating their anniversary this year.
We show that Poland is also a country that offers security. We do a lot to let our allies know that we are an ally to be reckoned with. (…) For so many years, among others, Poles living in the United States have their own position and enjoy respect not only in their community, but also in the sphere of state and federal authorities, ending with the White House, with their support and lobbying for Poland, have also been given the opportunity to withdraw from Poland’s membership of NATO
– the president emphasized.
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The ceremony in a large hall that seats about 1,000 people was a major celebration for New York’s Polish community. The audience thanked the presidential couple for their visit and for remembering the work of people who care deeply about cultivating Polishness, even thousands of kilometers from their homeland.
Source: wPolityce