Obama Praises Poland: A Leader in Europe, World
B. Obama and B. Komorowski
President of the United States praised Poland on Saturday for its transit from the Communist regime to democracy and for its success in integrating into the world of developed countries of Europe.
Obama is attending a summit of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe, a reunion that started with a little setback generated by the fact that the Polish authorities invited the president of self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo, which made the presidents of the states in the region that do not recognize Kosovo, Serbia, Slovakia and Romania, to decline invitation to attend.
The President of Slovakia, Igor Gasparovic, decided, however, to attend after convincing the Polish organizers not to display any national symbols of Kosovo, nor to have the president of this country sign the documents of the summit.
Wreath-Laying
Obama arrived in Poland on Friday, where he participated in wreath-laying ceremonies at the Polish Unknown Soldier’s Tomb and at the memorial of the Warsaw Ghetto, where people were killed during WWII.
He also attended a dinner with the leaders of Central and Eastern countries present in Warsaw, where he discussed the opportunity the Arab uprising presented to the leaders all over the world to express their commitment to democracy.
Poland, he added, is a role model for all the countries in the Arab world who are struggling to break free from non-democratic rule.
He also met with the symbol of Poland’s deliverance from Communism, Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity Union and former president of the country.
Earlier on Saturday, Obama met with the Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski, and assured him that the boost of American relations with Russia poses no threat to the security of the countries in Central Europe.
Furthermore, the American president said that Poland can play a major role in fostering democratic life in countries like neighboring Belarus, where a totalitarian regime has been ruling for decades with an iron fist.
Poland is a growing economy and a serious partner for the United States on the world stage, the American president said, and the same could happen in Egypt and Tunisia, countries that have recently rid themselves of dictators.
Obama’s visit to Poland concludes an European tour that started with a visit to Ireland, another to England, and a participation in the summit of Group of Eight at Deauville, France, where a plan was laid out to redirect the money of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to the Arab countries.
