Poland’s new ambassador to Ukraine has praised the power of Ukraine’s civil society in pushing the country away from its corrupt past and towards a democratic future in the European Union.
Speaking at his introductory meeting at the Embassy of Poland in Kyiv on Nov. 24, Polish Ambassador Jan Pieklo said that “Ukrainian society has played a key role to ensure that Ukraine goes through the process of European integration.”
Pieklo – a famous Polish journalist, publicist, and now diplomat – is also the founder and executive director of the Polish-Ukrainian Cooperation Foundation. He was officially appointed as Poland’s new ambassador to Ukraine on Aug. 4, replacing Henryk Litwin, who had held the post since May 2010.
At the introductory meeting, the new ambassador highlighted the high price that Ukraine has paid for freedom: during the EuroMaidan Revolution and in the Russia-fomented war in the Donbas.
Pieklo also noted the resemblance of recent events in Ukraine – the Orange and EuroMaidan revolutions and the ousting of the corrupt regime of former President Viktor Yanukovych – to those that happened earlier in Poland – the birth of the Polish Solidarnosc (Solidarity) movement in 1980 and the end of the Communist regime shortly after.
The diplomat said he was thankful for the trust that has been placed in him, and is happy to work and do everything possible for Ukraine’s freedom.
“There is no safe Europe without a free and democratic Ukraine,” the newly appointed ambassador said.
