On Monday afternoon, President Andrzej Duda arrived at the air base in Amari, Estonia, where he took part in a Christmas Eve meeting with Polish pilots stationed there. The main point of the visit of the Polish head of state is the meeting with the President of Estonia, Alar Karis.
During a one-day visit to Estonia, the president met soldiers of the Polish Military Contingent Orlik, who have been stationed in Estonia since early December.
PKW Orlik is the Polish contribution to the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission. Since 2005, Polish pilots, together with contingents from other allied countries, have taken part in patrolling and protecting the airspace of the Baltic states that do not have their own combat aviation.
The President’s wishes
The President extended his best wishes to all soldiers and officers in service, including those in contingents abroad. He emphasized that serving far from home is extremely difficult because the family is separated.
Therefore, please accept special expressions of respect, thanks and wishes for a peaceful Christmas; to be those who – despite the distance and the various threats you often face – bring peace to hearts and souls
– said Andrzej Duda.
He also extended his best wishes to the families of the soldiers.
We hope that not only through these contingents and remote duties, but through every day of service during this period and throughout the next year, our soldiers will always return home peacefully.
– he said.
The President also thanked them for their services to Poland. He added that this is especially important at a time when war is raging on our eastern border.
We feel even more the importance and burden of the service you provide. As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I wish all Polish soldiers and their loved ones peaceful and good holidays. I pledge to watch over your affairs and interests until the end of my presidential service as civilian commander of the armed forces. All the best
– said the president.
Orlik’s soldiers
From early December to March 2024, a twelfth rotation of Orlik will be stationed at the base in Amari: approximately 150 soldiers with four armed F-16 fighters. In addition to Polish pilots, American and Spanish soldiers are currently participating in the mission.
President Duda planned to visit the Orlik soldiers from the previous service in the spring of this year, but the visit was canceled due to weather conditions. Today’s visit marks the President’s tenth visit to the National Electoral Commission – President Duda previously visited contingents in Kuwait (2017), Afghanistan (2018), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2019), Romania (2018 and 2021) and Latvia in 2018 and 2022. In addition to Orlik’s soldiers, the meeting was also attended by a delegation of soldiers from the contingent in Estonia, where a Polish armored company is stationed as part of a NATO battalion battle group.
The President will be accompanied by his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda, Chief of the General Staff General Wiesław Kukuła and Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Bejda.
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Source: wPolityce