Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk visits Latvia
25.11.2021
On 24-25 November 2021, Secretary of State Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk paid a visit to Latvia. The main item on the agenda was political consultations held in Riga with Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting focused on bilateral relations and the ongoing migration crisis at the border with Belarus. Additionally, the deputy ministers exchanged views on security policy, regional cooperation in the context of the Three Seas Initiative Summit planned for 2022 in Latvia, and the current European agenda. The deputy chief of Polish diplomacy also met with Dagmāra Beitnere-Le Galla, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia.
While in Riga, the Polish deputy minister also talked with metropolitan Archbishop of Riga, Zbigniew Stankiewicz. Then, the MFA deputy head went to Latgale - a region known for Polish settlement, which dates back to the 16th century. He paid tribute to Poles fallen in the Latgale Campaign and laid flowers at the Slobodka Cross in Daugavplis and at the cemetery in Krāslava.
While in Daugavpils, the deputy minister visited the Józef Piłsudski State Polish Gymnasium. During
a meeting with the school’s headmasters, he underlined that education in our mother tongue is an essential part of upbringing which cherishes and preserves the sense of Polish national identity. Next year, a construction of a multifunctional sports field is planned, financed by the Polish MFA and the local authorities of Daugavplis. The field’s construction as well as the school’s activity were the main topics of the Polish deputy minister’s talks with the Mayor of Daugavplis, Andrejs Elksniņš.
While visiting the Polish House, the MFA’s deputy head met with representatives of the Polish community, including President of the Latvian Polish Society Ryszard Stankiewicz and Director of the Polish Cultural Centre Żanna Stankiewicz.
While in Kraslava, Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk met with the town’s mayor and visited a Polish school. There are four such educational institutions for minorities in the Latvian system of public education (Daugavplis, Krāslava, Riga and Rēzekne).
MFA Press Office
