Poland in US

Held in the Residence of the Ambassador of Poland Piotr Wilczek, the reception celebrated both Poland’s National Independence Day as well as the centennial of diplomatic relations between Poland and the U.S. The evening’s guest of honor was Mr. Stephen Biegun, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for North Korea and nominee for Deputy Secretary of State. While underscoring his proud Polish heritage, the American diplomat noted that Poland has more to celebrate than just the centennial of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the United States, listing, among others, the 15^th anniversary of Poland’s entry into the European Union and the 20^th anniversary of its membership in NATO.   

Ambassador Piotr Wilczek pointed to the numerous accomplishments of Polish-U.S. cooperation over the past year, the most notable of which includes the signing of the Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation. He cited the Agreement on Preventing and Combatting Serious Crime, as well as other agreements on border security and immigration cooperation, the exchange of medical research in fighting cancer, civil nuclear cooperation, the supply of liquid natural gas to Poland, and the culmination of our efforts to deepen Poland-U.S. relations - Poland’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program.

“I can’t think of a more meaningful way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our diplomatic relations than by including Poland in the Visa Waiver Program,” remarked Ambassador Piotr Wilczek, summing up the many accomplishments of the current year. Following the Ambassador’s address, Vice Admiral David Pekoske, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, praised the bilateral cooperation that worked to meet all necessary guidelines for implementation of the visa-free regime. He also stated that the decision to include Poland in the Visa Waiver Program strengthens the security of Poles and Americans. Addressing the evening’s guests was also the CEO of LOT Polish Airlines, Mr. Rafał Milczarski, who is optimistic about increased tourism traffic between Poland and the U.S. and who plans to open new routes such as Warsaw-San Francisco.

State decorations were awarded during the reception. Pete V. Domenici posthumously received the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, accepted on his behalf by his daughter; while both the family of John Hardt (posthumously) and Francis J. Skrobiszewski received the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. The Polish and American national anthems were sung by children from the Polish School of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, Washington, D.C.

 

Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, DC