Mr. President, you are coming to a country where the rule of law is no longer respected. Your powerful voice calling for tolerance and mutual respect, as well as compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and other laws, may have historical significance - reads an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, written by a group of former Polish ambassadors.
Twenty three former ambassadors have undersigned the letter, including Ryszard Schnepf, Iwo Byczewski, Piotr Nowina-Konopka, Jerzy Maria Nowak and Andrzej Krawczyk, all united in the Conference of Polish Ambassadors - a group of former Polish diplomats whose aim is to analyse foreign policy, identifying emerging dangers to Poland and offering recommendations.
The former ambassadors have underlined in the letter that "the visit of the President of the United States is always a great event for us Poles," and that Trump would be welcomed with "due respect". They also mentioned historical ties between Poland and the USA, recalling, among other things, that "the United States supported the struggles of the Polish 'Solidarity' movement, provided financial assistance during difficult times of economic and social transformation, and engaged in the building of our security system". "While recalling these illustrious events in our history, we wish to draw your attention to two important issues, namely current threats to both the security community and to the community of values," reads the letter. "Today, our Republic is a member of a large, democratic family founded on two pillars: the European Union and NATO. Poland remains a steadfast and proven ally of the USA. These communities of values and interests are not at odds with each other," the ambassadors wrote. They underscored that, "the USA, Lithuania, Germany, France or Canada, like all other NATO members, are equal partners in an alliance whose strength should be measured primarily by its potential for joint and effective action". "An isolated Poland, surrounded by enemies, conflicted with its neighbors and, as was the case before World War II, reliant solely on geographically distant alliances, is on course to another catastrophe," the authors claim.
"In this context, the role of a 'Trojan horse', of a country drifting to the fringes of the community of freedom and democracy, a course on which the current government in steering Poland, is destructive both to us and our allies, including the United States. We want to be a serious and reliable partner in our Euro-Atlantic relationship. A partner also ready to make sacrifices, not solely a client or an executor of tasks which do not serve NATO’s cohesion well," former Polish diplomats wrote. The signatories of the letter stressed the importance of fundamental democratic values: "the ideals of the European Enlightenment and of the Founding Fathers of the first modern state, namely the United States of America, are democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights, equality of citizens and safeguarding of their freedoms". The ambassadors have also expressed their concerns: "we do not know of a nation where the Constitution is esteemed and respected as it is in the United States. Meanwhile, in Poland, the process of flouting and bending our Constitution has been on the rise for several years. The division of powers is being dismantled and the independent judiciary is being destroyed. Human rights are curtailed, and the growing repression of political opponents and various minorities, be they ethnic, religious or sexual, is not only tolerated by the government, but even inspired by it". "Mr. President, you are coming to a country where the rule of law is no longer respected. Your powerful voice calling for tolerance and mutual respect, as well as compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and other laws, may have historical significance. Only free, democratically governed states can create a lasting and effective community capable of defending itself against a flood of aggression, authoritarianism and falsehoods. Poles, hungry for freedom, will listen to you. They will take your words to heart. We await your arrival with hope," reads the last paragraph of the letter. On September 1, during observances of the 80th anniversary of the WWII outbreak, at the Piłsudski Square in Warsaw, three presidents will give speeches: Poland's Andrzej Duda, Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the United States' Donald Trump.
On September 2, Trump will also talk face-to-face with President Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, ambasadorowie.org