A new decade of the 21st century has just begun, a decade of uncertainty but also of hope. A decade of opportunities for the reconstruction of civilization and the economy, for creation of a better, fairer, greener world and respectful of the principles of sustainable development. Looking ahead, we are trying to identify the areas that will become the centers of dynamic and positive change. I am sure that, on a European and global scale, Central Europe will be part of these places.
The president recalled the times of the "Republic of Nations" (Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth), in which "it was possible to create a voluntary political union in a large part of this area, a precursor of today's European Union, creating a friendly home for numerous cultures and religions, governed by the principles of the rule of law, parliamentary, and democracy."
Andrzej Duda recalled that Timothy Garton Ash in 1989 wrote that the idea of Central Europe breaks the Western world from cold-war thinking habits, challenges well-established concepts and priorities, but has something new to offer in return. According to the president, this opinion is topical because the membership of Central European countries in the EU and NATO is "an important, well-established part of the European and transatlantic order."
If I were to present the new face of Central Europe in a condensed way, including Poland as the largest country in this region, I would say a community of success and aspirations. - emphasized Duda.
He mentioned and described the Visegrad Group, the Bucharest Nine (B9), to which the countries of NATO's eastern flank belong, and the Three Seas Initiative as the three critical planes of Central European cooperation. He explained that "the B9 is largely a response to Russia's aggressive policy, to the violation of the borders and territorial integrity of neighboring Ukraine, which poses a threat to regional and transatlantic security."
We invite you to take part in this fascinating adventure - he wrote at the end.
