Poland’s Constitution Day in Washington, D.C.

 The event was held at Ambassador Wilczek’s Residence. The official ceremony began with the singing of the Polish and US National Anthems by Laura Kafka-Price and Benjamin Schmitt. In his remarks, Ambassador Wilczek called attention to the various important anniversaries observed this year and the long history of cooperation between Poland and the United States. “In the ties between our countries we see the truth behind President Woodrow Wilson’s words: ‘Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together,’” Ambassador Wilczek reflected. He was followed by US Senator Ron Johnson, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on European and Regional Security Cooperation, whose speech emphasized the strength of Poland-US friendship. Poland “has played a pivotal role in opening up freedom for the rest of Eastern Europe and will play a role in opening up freedom for other people around the world,” Senator Johnson said. The official portion of the event concluded with Ambassador Wilczek presenting official distinctions to Americans who have contributed to the development of Poland-US bilateral relations: Jonas Martin Frost III, Mary Nell Bryant, William H. Robinson, Oscar Swan, Jeri Ann Thomson, Kristi E. Walseth, Nancy A. Davenport, Francis T. Miko, Walter J. Oleszek, Walter J. Stewart and Benjamin L. Schmitt.

During Tuesday’s celebration we were joined by many officials from the diplomatic corps and the US government, among them a number of members of Congress including Representative Marcy Kaptur and former Representative Martin Frost. We also had the honor of hosting Deputy Minister and Undersecretary of State at Poland’s Ministry of Defense Tomasz Szatkowski. The evening’s guests could enjoy our exhibit on the “Polish Declarations of Admiration and Friendship for the United States” as well as music by the Kuba Cichocki Trio, which performed jazz renditions of classic Polish songs. Guests were also treated to a variety of Polish dishes prepared by our Embassy kitchen. It was a great celebration that brought together many friends. A special thank you to our sponsors who helped make this event possible: Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union, Fundacja PGZ, the US-Poland Business Council, Eaton, International Paper, Lockheed Martin and Smithfield.

Embassy of the Republic of Poland
in Washington D.C.