The concept of security policy in the region presented by President Lech Kaczyński is still valid; President Andrzej Duda often refers to his thinking, stressed Marcin Przydacz, head of the Presidential Office for International Policy.

On 12 August 2008, President Lech Kaczyński together with the leaders of Ukraine and the Baltic states left for Tbilisi. The purpose of the visit was to show international support for Georgia which was invaded by Russia. That day, at a rally in Tbilisi, President Kaczyński delivered a speech calling for a world reaction to Russian imperialism. “We know very well that today it is Georgia, tomorrow it is Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic countries, and maybe it is time for my country, Poland!” – President Kaczyński said then.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki referred to the incident in a Facebook post. “Exactly 15 years ago, the late President Lech Kaczyński delivered a historic speech in Tbilisi – the capital of Georgia, a country invaded by Russian invaders and fighting for South Ossetia,” he recalled.

On 12 August 2008, at a rally in Tbilisi, President Kaczyński delivered a speech calling for a world reaction to Russian imperialism. “We know very well that today it is Georgia, tomorrow it is Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic countries, and maybe it is time for my country, Poland!” – he says.

“The heroic journey and speech at the joint rally of the presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia had a wide resonance throughout the world,” stressed Morawiecki. “I remember this day perfectly. I remember how this visit and speech were received by the Georgian people themselves, who considered the presence of the Polish President at such a moment in their history an act of true courage. “The words spoken then by the late Lech Kaczyński turned out to be prophetic,” he added.

The Prime Minister also took Lech Kaczyński’s words to heart. “When I started this arrival, some people thought that the president would be afraid. Nobody was afraid. Everyone came because Central Europe has a brave leader. And I want to say this not only to you. I also want to say this to those who come from from the European Union that Central Europe, Georgia, that our entire region will be taken into account, that we are one unit,” the president said later, adding: “And we also know very well that today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the day after tomorrow to the countries Baltic, and maybe it’s time for my country, to Poland”.

“How powerfully each of these sentences resonates on the 15th anniversary of the visit to Tbilisi,” Morawiecki said.

As the Prime Minister emphasized, “for many years, assessments of the Russian-Georgian war were dominated by half-truths and countless lies.” “European elites cannot admit that doing business and treating Russia’s leaders, led by Putin, with the utmost seriousness is an invitation for them to take further draconian steps, the escalation of which we have experienced since 2014, and this occurred with retaliation on February 24, 2022 when Russian troops attacked Ukrainian territory,” he added.

The head of government also said that “unfortunately, many politicians, experts and observers cannot admit their wrong assessment of the situation.” “We see it in our own backyard, listening to opposition representatives, and politicians from several Western countries who are taking a relative approach to current contacts with Russia,” he stressed.

“I want to say clearly today – as the Polish government, we will never agree to such an approach, which boils down to a +business as usual+ policy, as if nothing had ever happened,” Morawiecki announced. “President Lech Kaczyński’s words in 2008 are our guide,” he stressed. “As he said at the time, today Central Europe also has bold leaders, and our policy has become very subjective, which is not in accordance with the wishes of many European leaders, who are inciting their subordinates from the Polish opposition to immediately return to the old path, becoming completely submit to their decision,” he added and stressed: “We, as the Union of the Right, will never allow this to happen.”

“We will forever remember President Kaczyński’s words and his symbolic trip to Tbilisi. Georgians themselves, with whom I often speak, also remember these events. In their eyes, the Polish President will always remain a great hero. I am completely sure that after many years he will also “In the history of our homeland, the events of August 12, 2008 will be remembered as one of the most important events in Polish foreign policy of the 21st century,” wrote the Polish head. government.

“President Lech Kaczyński’s historic speech and his entire presidency show that President Lech Kaczyński had a highly developed ability to predict and accurately read certain actions and movements,” said Przydacz.

The head of the Presidential Office of International Policy, Marcin Przydacz, emphasized in an interview with PAP that in foreign policy the ability to predict and correctly read the intentions of the other side is very important. “The courage to oppose actions that lead to aggression is very important, even though it is sometimes disadvantageous in the short term and difficult, because it is difficult to swim against the current when everyone is swimming in a completely different direction,” he said.

“President Lech Kaczyński’s historic speech and his entire presidency show that President Lech Kaczyński had a highly developed ability to predict and accurately read certain actions and movements,” said Przydacz.

He said this was, among other things, in the context of energy security. “Securing Poland through diversification, the search for new partners, and the desire for independence from Russia, is considered by some politicians in the current opposition to be unnecessary or reckless. From the perspective of the lars, we see how important it is to start preparations when the teeth of the energy racket defeat Russia. “Most of us have succeeded,” said the Head of BPM.

Another example he mentioned was regional cooperation. He said, the stronger Poland is in the region, the stronger it will be in Europe. “Similar things also happened in support of Georgia which was hit by Russian missiles and its capital was moved by Russian tanks,” said the Head of BPM.

He emphasized that the purpose of the visit of Lech Kaczyński and other leaders of Central and Eastern Europe to Tbilisi was to show support and warn the world against the rise of Russian imperialism. “Many experts say that this was one of the factors that stopped Russian aggression at that time. “Years later, we see how right President Lech Kaczyński was,” said Przydacz.

The BPM chairman noted that President Andrzej Duda, who is a colleague of President Lech Kaczyński, referred to his thoughts. “He remembers many ideas and concepts, as well as all the thoughts on security policy in the region conveyed by President Lech Kaczyński. “In many aspects, this thinking is still valid,” he said.

In his speech in Tbilisi, Lech Kaczyński said that “today the world must react, even though it is reluctant to do so.” “And we are here to make the world react even more strongly. “Especially the European Union and NATO,” he stressed. “When I started this arrival, some people thought that the president would be afraid. Nobody is afraid. Everyone came because Central Europe had brave leaders. And I want to convey it not only to you, I also want to convey it. to those from the European Union, that Central Europe, Georgia, that our entire region will be taken into account, that we are one unit. “And we also know very well that today it is Georgia, tomorrow it is Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic countries, and then maybe it will be time for my country, Poland,” he said.

“We firmly believe that membership in NATO and the EU will end the period of Russian appetite. Turns out this wasn’t a mistake. But we can oppose it if the values ​​that underlie Europe have any significance in If it matters, we have to be here, all of Europe has to be here. There are four NATO countries here. There is Ukraine, a great country. There is President Sarkozy, who is currently President of the European Council, but there should be 27 of them here. We believe that Europe will and will understand, that Europe will understand your right to freedom and will also understand its interests. Europe will understand that without Georgia, Russia will restore its empire, and this is no one’s business. interest. That’s why we are here,” said President Kaczyński at the time. (PAP)

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