First couple pay tribute to Poland’s security forces at Christmas meeting
Poland’s president and first lady have taken part in a Christmas meeting with the country’s security forces and law enforcement officers, thanking them for their service in the past year, especially for helping refugees from Ukraine.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda (second from left) and First Lady Agata Kornhauser Duda (left) take part in a Christmas meeting with the country’s security forces and law enforcement officials, in the southeastern city of Rzeszów, on Tuesday, December 20, 2022.KPRP/Grzegorz Jakubowski
The traditional festive get-together was held in the southeastern city of Rzeszów on Tuesday, officials told reporters.
President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda met with troops, police officers, border guards and firefighters, as well as soldiers from allied armies, according to the presidential website.
Duda, who is also commander-in-chief of Poland’s armed forces, told the gathering: “It’s good that we are together, just as you serve Poland together, keeping our citizens secure; just as you served during the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border; just as you served in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine, supporting refugees who arrive in Poland from Ukraine; just as you acted together in western Poland last summer when there was an environmental disaster on the river Oder.”
The president paid tribute to Poland’s security forces, saying these challenging events “brought you together like never before; the army working with other uniformed services, as well as with volunteers.”
Duda added: “You showed how brilliantly you can serve the homeland. You showed that Poland, the people who live here, and those who come here needing help, can count on you. We thank you with all our hearts! And may you return home safely from every mission.”
Meanwhile, the first lady thanked Poland’s security forces and law enforcement officials for their response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and particularly the consequences of the war.
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She said: “I had the opportunity to work with many of you on various initiatives and projects and I am grateful for this cooperation, as well as for the fact that you acted not only out of a sense of duty, but above all from the heart.”
“May Christmas give us all hope and belief that the next year will be better than the current one and will bring us much-needed peace,” the first lady said.
(pm)
Source: prezydent.pl, wprost.pl
