The Presidents of Poland and Lithuania, Andrzej Duda and Gitanas Nauseda, took part in a solemn guard briefing in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw on the 104th anniversary of Poland’s independence.

“I believe deeply in an independent, sovereign, free Poland. I believe deeply in my fellow countrymen. I have a profound faith in the tremendous belief in the value of a sovereign, independent, our own Poland, in which we govern ourselves and decide for ourselves. I believe deeply in the wisdom of our society,” Andrzej Duda said during the ceremony.

President Nauseda offered wishes to the Poles on behalf of the entire Lithuanian nation. ‘104 years ago, your country rose like a phoenix from the ashes of World War I, heralding the beginning of a new era of national democratic states’, said the Lithuanian President.

During the ceremony, President Duda reiterated that „the reality of recent years has made people realise in a very violent way what it means to have and not to have a free, sovereign state, what it means to have and not to have independence”. The Polish leader also spoke about the hybrid attack on the Polish border with Belarus. He pointed out that “January and February and particularly 24 February showed us clearly what was the source and intention of this action most likely.

“It was about testing our determination, decisiveness and readiness. But it was also about creating confusion, crisis, internal and external conflicts. They intended to create a crisis within the European Union. To divert attention from the situation in the east and to direct it towards internal problems, moving from the east towards the west”, noted Andrzej Duda.

The President also spoke of the assistance that the Polish people had given to Ukraine and its citizens following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

“I thank all my Compatriots for this. You have shown first-class behavior, you have shown that ‘a Pole can do’ in the best sense of the word”, stressed Andrzej Duda.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński