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JANUARY 2007 |
Volume II Issue 1 |
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January |
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Sadly, the new year begins as we mourn
the loss of our former President, Gerald
R. Ford. President Ford was a great man
who devoted his life to serving the United
States. He was a true gentleman who reflected
the best in America's character. I first
met President Ford when he visited the Yale
University campus in New Haven, Connecticut
in 1965 as House Minority Leader and as
a student there at the time I had the privilege
of escorting him to several events. He was
a Yale Law School graduate finishing in
the top 10 percent of his class. I last
saw him in Rancho Mirage, California when
I visited him as Mayor of Knoxville in 2001.
On both occasions, he was the same decent,
well informed and gracious person. |
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Ambassador Victor Ashe |
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President Ford made an official visit to
Poland in July 1975 during which he stated,
"Building on a foundation laid nearly
200 years ago, when courageous Poles came
to our shores and helped make American independence
a reality, we have worked hard to broaden
the scope of our common interests. Let me
express the greetings I bring with me from
all Americans, Niech ¿yje Polska!
[Long live Poland!]"
Building on the work of President Ford
and his successors, the past year alone
provided numerous examples of the broad
scope of common interests between the United
States and Poland - our joint commitment
to fostering liberty and democracy in Iraq
and our continued close cooperation and
perseverance in the global war on terror;
the arrival of the first Polish F-16s and
strengthened defense cooperation; the visits
of both President Kaczynski and Prime Minister
Kaczynski to the White House and the numerous
visits to Poland of high-level U.S. officials
and influential private citizens; as well
as significant increases in U.S. business
investment in Poland - to name just a few
examples.
In 2007, I look forward to new opportunities
to further cultivate the strong alliance
between our two countries - including the
arrival of additional Polish F-16s and continued
defense cooperation; the U.S. "Lead
Nation" role for the 2007 International
Defense Trade Show to be held in Poland
next September; a February business outreach
mission to the U.S. that I will lead with
a group of Polish business leaders; further
U.S.-Polish cooperation in the realm of
energy security; and progress on President
Bush's initiative to extend U.S. visa free
travel to additional European partners.
In December, I had the honor of awarding
five Polish army officers with U.S. military
medals for their service in Iraq. These
awards are among the highest that the United
States military bestows on non-Americans
and commend the dedication and superb performance
of all Polish soldiers who have served and
continue to serve in Iraq. As a sign of
our respect for the courageous Poles who
risked their lives in the struggle against
Communist rule to restore liberty and democracy
in Poland, the U.S. recently observed a
Day of Remembrance for the 25th anniversary
of the imposition of martial law by the
Communist government in Poland.
In January, I look forward to attending
a conference of U.S. Ambassadors in Washington,
DC; traveling to Poznan, Szczecin and Krakow;
attending a signing ceremony for a large
U.S. business investment in Poland; hosting
a visit by the Science and Technology Advisor
to the U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. George
Atkinson, who will discuss Global Science
Partnerships for the 21st Century with his
Polish counterparts; and welcoming the new
Commander of the Polish Land Forces, Lieutenant
General Waldemar Skrzypczak, to a luncheon
in his honor at my residence.
I encourage you to read more about these
and other Embassy events highlighted below.
Sincerely yours,
Victor Ashe
U.S. Ambassador to Poland
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Embassy News |
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Daniel Fried |
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Senior Diplomat Previews U.S.-Europe Relations for 2007 |
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Although their
cooperation is not discussed widely in the media,
the United States and Europe will continue to
work together closely to advance freedom, security
and democracy in diverse regions, a senior U.S.
diplomat says, looking ahead at U.S.-European
relations for 2007. Daniel Fried, assistant secretary
of state for European and Eurasian affairs, discusses
trans-Atlantic cooperation in Afghanistan and
Iraq, the status of the Kosovo province of Serbia,
U.S. relations with Russia and other topics.
more |
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EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson |
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Poland Joins Methane to Markets Partnership |
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Poland became the 19th country to join
the Methane to Markets partnership, the international
initiative that promotes the recovery and use
of methane as a source of clean energy. The partnership
extended membership to Poland during its steering
committee meeting in Rome on December 15.
"By working with Poland to promote advances
in clean energy technology, we are transforming
important economic partners into good global neighbors,"
said U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.
more |
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F-16 |
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Four More F-16s Arrive in Poland |
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Four more F-16s arrived in Poland on December
14 as part of a second wave of deliveries under
the Poland Peace Sky Program. The first four aircraft
delivered under the program arrived in Poland
on November 9. Deliveries will take place until
December 2008, reaching a total of 48 F-16s. The
Polish F-16s are the most advanced fighter aircraft
in NATO. The F-16s were produced by Lockheed Martin
in Fort Worth, Texas using Pratt and Whitney engines
built in Poland.
more |
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U.S. Observes Day of Remembrance for the 25th Anniversary of the Imposition of Martial Law by the Communist Government in Poland |
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On December 13, 2006, the United States
officially observed a Day of Remembrance for the
25th anniversary of the imposition of martial
law by the Communist government in Poland. The
Day of Remembrance honors the sacrifices of the
Polish people who risked their lives in the struggle
against Communist rule to restore liberty and
democracy in Poland, and calls on the people of
the United States to acknowledge the important
role their struggle played in the fall of communism
and the end of the Cold War.
more |
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Ambassador Ashe with awardees |
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U.S. Honors Polish Military Officers for Service in Iraq |
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On December 1, U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor
Ashe and Commander of the Polish Land Forces Command,
Lieutenant General Skrzypczak, awarded five Polish
army officers with U.S. military medals for their
service in Iraq. "These
awards are among the highest that the United States
military bestows on non-Americans. They are but
modest recognition of the outstanding leadership
and professional qualities of these fine officers.
These awards also commend the dedication and superb
performance of all Polish soldiers who have served
and continue to serve with distinction in the
difficult operational environment of Iraq," said
Ambassador Ashe.
more |
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Ambassador Henry A. Crumpton |
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U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism Visits Warsaw |
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Ambassador Henry A. Crumpton, the U.S.
Department of State's Coordinator for
Counterterrorism, visited Warsaw December
13 for meetings with Polish government
officials. The Office of the Coordinator
for Counterterrorism coordinates and
supports the development and implementation
of all U.S. Government policies and
programs aimed at countering terrorism
overseas.
more |
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Poland |
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Ambassador Ashe Travels Around Poland |
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U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe
traveled to the cities of Srem, Jarocin,
Gostyn, Leszno, Smigiel, Koscian, and
Lubon on December 11. His appointments
included meetings with the mayor or
president of each city. The trip was
part of Ambassador Ashe's regular travels
to represent America in cities and towns
outside the capital city of Warsaw.
"I have often pointed out that
I am not merely the U.S. Ambassador
to Warsaw, but to all of Poland,"
Ambassador Ashe notes. "Such travels
also enable me to learn firsthand the
viewpoints of Polish citizens residing
in areas outside the capital."
In his two and a half year tour as ambassador
to Poland, Ambassador Ashe has already
visited all sixteen Polish provinces
and more than 130 municipalities outside
the capital.
more |
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Minister of Defense
Sikorski with LTG Skrzypczak
and BG Zatonski during exercises |
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Polish Defense Leaders Visit Joint U.S.-Polish Military Training Exercise |
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On December 14, Polish Minister of Defense
Radoslaw Sikorski and Commander of Polish
Land Forces Lieutenant General Waldemar
Skrzypczak attended a Polish battalion
training exercise at the U.S. Joint
Multinational Readiness Center at Hohenfels,
Germany. The training event was a bilateral
U.S. and Polish effort designed to augment
the Polish 18th Air Assault Battalion's
pre-deployment training for its upcoming
deployment to Afghanistan in early 2007.
U.S. Embassy Warsaw's Defense Attaché
Office participated in the coordination
of the exercise and accompanied the
distinguished Polish visitors to Germany.
more |
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USDA |
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U.S. Embassy Announces the 2007 Norman E. Borlaug Fellows Program |
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The U.S. Embassy's Counselor for Agricultural
Affairs Edwin Porter announced the Norman
E. Borlaug International Agricultural
Science and Technology Fellows Program
for 2007 for Poland. Under this program,
selected Polish candidates will be offered
short-term (four to six weeks) scientific
training and collaborative research
fellowships at participating U.S. land-grant
universities, government research facilities,
other nonprofit institutions or private
companies in the United States.
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