President Duda on Foreign Service Day: U.S. is Poland's absolutely key ally

"I thank you all for faithful and persistent service for the Republic of Poland, for a huge contribution to building Poland's international potential, for pursuing our interest and creating positive image of our country abroad, especially in recent times, very difficult times," the president said during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw marking Poland's Foreign Service Day.

He said he was especially grateful to "all those who have been and are involved in efforts to evacuate and free Polish citizens as a result of the increasingly heated conflict in the Middle East".

Duda also urged Polish diplomats to be active and firm in defending of the Polish national interest and Poland's position on the international arena.

In his speech, the president also underscored that the United States was Poland's "main ally in terms of security, especially military".

"Let's not get persuaded that it could be anyone else. It won't. No one has such a potential and none of our recent partners will have it in the foreseeable future. And, therefore, the United States is our absolutely key ally in that regard," he said.

Duda also stressed Poland should base the partnership with the USA "on the intensively delevoped political, economic, and military cooperation".

"I'd like to state clearly that I will not cease developing this cooperation and, in the coming year, I will keep on acting in order to strengthen this bond with the United States."

"From my point of view, as president of Poland, it doesn't matter who is the president of the United States. It's the American voters' problem who they choose. From my point of view, the only important thing is for president of Poland to have as good relations with U.S. president and the USA as possible, because it's Poland's interest," Duda said.

He added that "it doesn't matter what the U.S. president believes in, what are his ideological views, who he likes or dislikes". "It doesn't matter completely," he reiterated.

"Poland's interest in that regard is only one: as far-reaching partnership with the USA as possible, Duda stressed.

"Foreign service is a service to the Polish national interest, which comes down to the continuance and survival of the Polish Republic in prosperity and development," Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau said during the ceremony.

Thanking the president for hosting the MFA staff, including diplomatic and consular applicants, the minister underscored that the successes of the Polish foreign policy were possible largely thanks to a fruitful cooperation in that regard between the president and the government as well as the ongoing cooperation between the president's office and the foreign ministry.

Minister Rau also honored "those who have remarkably contributed to strengthening Poland's international position" with state awards granted by the President of Poland, and the Bene Merito Badge of Honor.