Poland in Pakistan

On 23 February, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Islamabad, in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine and the EU Delegation, organized a solidarity event with Ukraine. During the event, the moving documentary "Erase the Nation" directed by Thomas Grzywaczewski was shown. In addition, the MFA of Ukraine prepared an exhibition "The one year of the war. 50 selected photos" - a photographic reflection of the devastating effects of the Russian aggression.

Referring to the theme of the documentary, Ambassador Maciej Pisarski pointed out that the war behind our eastern border is also a struggle to preserve Ukrainian culture and its historical heritage. Attacks on Ukrainian cultural sites, as Ambassador Pisarski emphasized, violate international law. In this light, they amount to a crime against the Ukrainian people. "We stand together with Ukraine and we maintain our belief that Ukraine's victory is the best path to peace," Ambassador Pisarski concluded.

Markiian Chuchuk, Ukraine's ambassador to Pakistan, drew attention to the enormity of the sacrifices suffered by Ukrainian society in the fight against the Russian invader, illustrating the scale of destruction that has affected Ukraine since the Kremlin launched its full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

The head of the Ukrainian mission in Islamabad thanked for the help that is being provided to Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion. Special thanks, in Polish, Ambassador Chuchuk conveyed to the Polish authorities and society for the invaluable support present since the very beginning of the war.

Thomas Seiler, the EU's chargé d'affaires in Islamabad, said the EU was ready to welcome Ukraine among member states. He also stressed, in the context of the adopted 10th EU package, that the implications of EU sanctions are increasingly severe for Russian society and the Russian economy. The EU representative also reminded that the consequences of the Kremlin's aggressive policy go far beyond Ukraine, and the food crisis caused by Moscow is also being felt in Pakistan.

Diplomats of most like-minded countries accredited in Islamabad attended the event, including heads of posts of the EU, NATO and selected countries of Asia and Latin America. Besides diplomats, a large group of participants of the event were local experts on international affairs, representatives of think-tanks, human rights activists, and numerous journalists.

Joint solidarity event was the culmination of the intensive outreach activity of the Embassy of Poland in Islamabad in connection with the anniversary of Russian aggression and Polish help provided to Ukraine. Prior to the event, Ambassador Maciej Pisarski gave a number of interviews for several media outlets. The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland was a co-signatory of the article of the heads of EU missions devoted to the first anniversary of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and published in the national daily Express Tribune in both English and Urdu. The article is available here.