The future of Poland’s relations with the US was the focus of last week’s conference in Washington, organized by the Kulski Foundation in cooperation with the Warsaw Enterprise Institute.
The conference discussed 4 key areas of Polish-American cooperation: economic, military, cooperation in the field of energy, as well as cooperation in the area of R&D and healthcare.
The panel on defense was moderated by Marek Świerczyński on behalf of Polityka Insight – one of the leading Polish experts in the field of defense policy and international geopolitical conditions.
The panel in the R&D area was moderated by dr. Radosław Sierpiński, President of the Medical Research Agency.
The honorary guest of the panel was the first (and the only) Polish cosmonaut – Mirosław Hermaszewski.
All workshops were delivered in the “Chatham House rules” format, which allowed the interlocutors to freely exchange opinions in a narrow group of experts.
The day ended with a banquet for all conference participants organized in the Crystal Room of the Willard Hotel. At the gala event, apart from numerous guests from Polish and American public administration, also congresswoman Marcy Kaptur was present, who gave a short speech on the specificity of Polish-American relations.
During the gala evening, prof. Julian E. Kulski, in recognition of his contribution to building and intensifying Polish-American relations, also received a special badge awarded to him by the Vice Chancellor of the Academy of Martial Arts – prof. Dr hab. Jarosław Gryz.
The second day of the conference (27.09.2019) was carried out in the panel discussion format. The conference was also held in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
During the second day welcoming speeches, the relevance of Polish-American relations, among others, was mentioned by Professor Julian E. Kulski and Małgorzata Bogusz, President of the Board of the Kulski Foundation.
Minister Tomasz Zdzikot read out the letter addressed to the conference participants on behalf of the Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“Thanks to the strength of our political alliance and the high dynamics of trade and cultural cooperation between the USA and Poland, we can now look at the future with optimism. (…) I would like to thank the Kulski Foundation for organizing this event, thanks to which experts from all over the world can exchange views on various levels of cooperation bringing Poland and the United States closer”
“Both countries are aware of the benefits of the partnership with the most effective military alliance in history, which is NATO. At the same time, Warsaw and Washington recognize the need to strengthen bilateral security ties, an example of which is the joint decision to increase the American military presence in Poland, announced by both presidents in June,” the Polish diplomat emphasized.
Among other relevant sectors of cooperation between Poland and the USA, Ambassador Wilczek mentioned the joint efforts of the countries on the international arena, such as the one initiated in February this year – the Warsaw process, which aims to “increase security and stability in the Middle East”.
According to Ambassador Wilczek, in bilateral relations the energy sector and activities aimed at diversifying energy sources in the region of Central and Eastern Europe also deserve attention.
According to the Ambassador, nuclear energy, advanced technologies, including IT and telecommunications, as well as medical research may become new potential areas for cooperation between Poland and the USA.
speaking after Ambassador Wilczek, recalled that when the United States recognized the independence of Poland 101 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson did not do it “for sentimental reasons,” but because it was his vision of the world – a free world, without divisions into spheres of influence of great powers. When America abandoned this vision and withdrew from Europe, “it ended in a catastrophe for America, for Poland, and for all of Europe. This led us to Yalta,” argued Fried, adding that “one Yalta is enough”.
Ambassador Fried suggested that the US-Poland cooperation program for the next century should include three points: “Military security first of all. Secondly, economic cooperation, including in the field of energy, which has a significant impact on security, and finally new technologies ”. “Poles are really very wise and good in business,” said Fried, among others, former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasia Affairs at the Department of State. He pointed out that Poles “only throughout one generation tripled the value of GDP per capita”.
The panel included Warsaw Enterprise Institute (WEI) president and founder Tomasz Wroblewski and American-Polish Business Council president Eric Stewart. The panel discussion was moderated by Marcin Nowacki, vice president of the Association.
Medical Research Agency President Radoslaw Sierpinski and Catherine Mellor of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce discussed.
The speakers were Deputy Defense Minister Tomasz Zdzikot and retired General John Gronski, in the past deputy commander of US ground forces in Europe.
Keynote speakers at the event included Academy of Naval Art pro-rector Prof. Jaroslaw Gryz and the director general of the Chamber of Commerce for Energy and Environmental Protection (IGEOS) Bogdan Pilch.The panel on Polish-American energy cooperation, meanwhile, featured Alexander Whittington of the Cheniere Energy Inc. raniel, Jack Spencer of The Herritage Foundation and Reka Szemerkenyi of CEPA.
Keynote Speakers for this panel were Jose Morey on behalf of NASA iTech and Peter Doran on behalf of CEPA.Panelists included Peter Doran, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis and well-known political scientist George Friedman founder and president of Geopolitical Futures. “Poland does not need to choose between the United States and the European Union. The United States needs Poland for the European Union to maintain its transatlantic orientation,” the CEPA president stressed.
The guest of honor at the meeting at the residence was Rita Cosby, an American media icon who is a friend of the Kulski Foundation.
