NEWSLETTER No 19
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NEWSLETTER No 19 EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND IN NEW ZEALAND July 2017 WELCOME In this issue: Following the 14 November Kaikoura earthquake, the City Chambers building has become PL & PACIFIC ISLANDS RELATIONS 2 temporarily inaccessible. PL NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS 3 MONTE CASSINO BATTLE 3 The Polish Embassy has moved into a new interim office at LEVEL 4, SOLNET HOUSE, 70 AUCKLAND 3 MAY CELEBRATION 4 THE TERRACE, Wellington 6011 COMING SOON 4 PL-HUNGARIAN CULTURAL EVENTS 5 ELDEST NZ -ER OF POLISH ROOTS 6 POLAND ELECTED A MEMBER OF THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL BETWEEN THE WATERS 6 PAHIATUA MUSEUM REOPENED 6 On Friday, June 2, 2017, Poland was elected as a agenda will also be the situation in Ukraine and WOMAD 2016 7 non-permanent member of the UN Security renewed participation in UN peacekeeping opera- TRADE PERFORMANCE 7 Council. tions. Among the most important priorities of RADIO POLAND 7 The Council plays a leading role in global securi- Poland's membership of the UNSC will be POLISH SCIENCE TRIUMPHS 7 ty discussions, seeking solutions to conflicts ei- strengthening of the Security Council effective- STUDY VISIT IN POLAND ther by peaceful means or through the use of ness and increasing the role and authority of the 8 force. organization. 2017 YEAR OF THE INFLUENTIALS 9 Solidarity-Responsibility-Commitment The force of the law The Security Council consists of fifteen states, Poland is returning to the Security Council after five of which (China, France, Russia, the United more than twenty years (it will be the sixth time States and the that Poland will United King- be a member of dom) are per- the UNSC). manent mem- Since then, bers. The re- Poland's inter- maining ten national posi- states are elect- tion has ed by the Gen- changed and eral Assembly our country has for a two-year become a mandate, with member of five non- NATO and the permanent European Un- members elect- ion. However, ed every year. the dynamically changing international situation, Poland officially announced its candidacy for a also in the immediate vicinity of Poland and the seat on the UN Security Council during the 2018- European Union remains uneasy. Poland, adher- 2019 term in March 2009 under the slogan ing to the primacy of international law in interna- "Solidarity-Responsibility-Commitment", but an tional relations, will as a member intensive campaign to acquire membership was of the Security Council strive to launched in September last year. build a world based on "the force Priorities of law, not the law of force." In the UNSC, Poland will be the voice of the re- Poland will begin its two-year gion it represents – Central and Eastern Europe mandate on January 1, 2018. Ku- (EEG, consisting of 23 members). Poland wants wait, Equatorial Guinea, Peru and to use its membership in the Security Council to Côte d'Ivoire have been elected draw international attention to global issues such together with Poland for the 2018- as terrorism, crimes against humanity and non- 2019 UN Security Council. The observance of the fundamental principles of inter- Netherlands will hold the mandate national law. A significant issue on the Polish of a UNSC member in 2018. NEWSLETTER No 19 NEW CHAPTER OF POLAND’S DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH PACIFIC ISLANDS On his official visit to TUVA- On March 27th Am- LU on 31 January to 2 Febru- bassador Z. Gniat- ary, Ambassador Zbigniew kowski presented the Gniatkowski presented the Letters of Credence Letters of Credence to the to the President of the Governor General of Tuvalu Republic of KIRIBA- Sir Iakoba Taeia Italeli, start- TI Taneti Maamau. ing the first-ever mission as Diplomatic relations the Ambassador of the Re- between Poland and public of Poland to Tuvalu. Kiribati were estab- Diplomatic relations with lished on 2 March Tuvalu were established on 4 2015. May 2015. In his speech Ambas- Ambassador met with repre- sador reminded that sentatives of Tuvalu Govern- Poland was contest- ment including Prime Minis- ing to become a non- ter E. Sosene Sopoaga, Dep- permanent member of uty Prime Minister, Minister the UN Security of Finance & Economic De- Council and as a velopment M. Toafa and member of the EU, Minister of Home Affairs & Poland is active in the Rural Development N. S. Pacific region Neemia as well as the heads through EDF devel- of government agencies. Am- opment assistance bassador visited a local provided to island school and the Tuvalu Phila- countries. Poland will telic Bureau. This govern- host the COP24 Cli- ment body is world-known mate Conference in for issuing beautiful stamps. 2018. One of the limited collections Referring to bilateral issued in 2014 was dedicated relations, Ambassa- to Pope John Paul II. Ambas- dor referred to the sador also visited the sites of history of the village the infrastructural invest- called Poland, as well ments financed by the Euro- as the experience of pean Development Fund, to young Kiribati pil- which Poland is a contribu- grims, who took part tor. in the World Youth Accompanying Ambassador, Day in Krakow 2016. on a technical mission was a The visit’s program Polish PhD engineer Piotr included meetings Grzybowski of the Warsaw with Kiribati Govern- University of Technology, ment representatives who at the time was a visitor and visits to the cur- at the Knowledge Engineer- rent EU projects sites. ing & Discovery Research The Polish Ambassa- Institute at the Auckland dor met with the University of Technology. Bishop of Kiribati Mr Grzybowski made assess- and young people ments of the current situation who visited Poland and further needs in waste for WYD (a group of management, sanitation and 26 pilgrims led by a water management in Tuva- Polish-born seminari- lu. an Przemyslaw) and paid a visit to an ele- mentary school in Tarawa. 2 NEWSLETTER No 19 3 MAY CONSTITUTION ANNIVERSARY IN NEW ZEALAND Celebrations of 226th anniversary of demolished Cassino Monastery. Poland's first modern Constitution were "It is my absolute honour to welcome Mr held at the Wellington Club on 3 May. Perry here tonight and to personally say Ambassador Z. Gniatkowski opened the “thank you” for sharing this such a sig- ceremony with his speech, where he nificant memory with us ." - said Ambas- mentioned a historic context of May 3rd sador acknowledging Mr Perry's pres- Constitution, a very good state of Poland ence at the ceremony as an honorary - New Zealand bilateral relations, two- guest. way political and cultural cooperation, Following on, a speech was delivered by great performance of mutual trade and Hon Chris Finlayson, Attorney-General, Poland's future aspirations. New Zealand Minister responsible for "Poland and New Zealand have for dec- GCSB, Minister in charge of NZ Securi- ades enjoyed excellent relations. We ty Intelligence Service, Minister of Wai- have always been sharing common val- tangi Treaty Negotiations. ues and beliefs. New Zealanders proved Amongst 120 gathered guests were Hon their attachment to them in battlefields David Bennett, Minister for Veterans, of Europe during the WWI and WWII. Ms Mary Thurston, upcoming New Zea- We remember this ." - said Ambassador land Ambassador to Poland, Polish Hon- introducing a symbolic letter he received orary Consuls Winsome Dormer and a few days prior to the ceremony. The Bogusław Nowak, members of Diplo- letter was signed by Mr Trevor Perry matic Corps, senior representatives from Picton, a tank driver from the 19th of Victoria University of Wellington, NZ Armoured Regiment, who fought in National Centre for Research on Europe, the cruel battle of Monte Cassino in May SCOUTS New Zealand, business, 1944. Mr Perry also sent a photograph of NGOs, Polish Community leaders and a Polish flag flying upon the ruins of the Pahiatua Children. Photos K. Jekielek by BATTLE OF MONTE CASSINO The Battle of Monte Cassino marked one of the lon- gest and bloodiest engagements of the Italian campa- ign during WW2. Allied forces launched four major attacks in 1944 to remove Nazi forces from a strategi- cally-important rocky outcrop, home to the 1,400 year- old Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino. The New Zealand soldiers’ biggest involvement came, in the 3rd battle, a major assault which started on 15 March. The town of Cassino was almost totally de- stroyed by a massive bombing raid, following which the 2nd New Zealand Division forces advanced under cover of an artillery barrage. Finally, on May 18, 1944, the troops of the Polish II Corps commanded by Gene- Photograph sent by Mr Trevor Perry with a Polish flag flying ral Władysław Anders reached the monastery ruins. above the ruins of the Cassino Monastery just after being captured by Polish troops, 18 May 1944. 3 NEWSLETTER No 19 NATIONAL DAY IN AUCKLAND & SPECIAL HONOUR A great crowd gathered at the Polish House members. Wisia received the Officer’s in Auckland on Sunday, 7 May to celebrate Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic the Polish Constitution Day, which is a Na- of Poland, awarded to her by Andrzej Duda, tional Day in Poland. President of Poland. Special guest in attendance was Ambassa- Wisia is known for her hard work in the dor Zbigniew Gniatkowski, who arrived field of preserving Polish history and tradi- from Wellington. He spoke about the signif- tions in New Zealand. She arrived in NZ in icance of the 3rd of May 1971 Constitution, 1944 with hundreds of Polish WWII or- both for Poland and for Europe as a whole. phans, known as the Pahiatua Children. In The Constitution known commonly as the New Zealand she got a degree in history at May 3rd Constitution was adopted in 1791 the University of Auckland.