25 years of Poland in NATO

On 8 March a gathering devoted to the 25th anniversary of Poland's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance was held at the Old Library on the University campus in Krakowskie Przedmieście. It's a large day for the university. It is hard to imagine present that we could not be in NATO," said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw.

On 8 March, a conference took place on the campus of the University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 25 years of Poland in NATO. And if the Alliance hadn't been... organised by the Faculty of Political Sciences and global Studies of the University of Warsaw.

The event was attended by erstwhile president Aleksander Kwasniewski, erstwhile Prime Minister and Euro MP Prof. Jerzy Buzek, abroad Minister Radosław Sikorski and representatives of the diplomatic corps.

The rector of the University of Warsaw, Prof. Alojza Z, welcomed the guests gathered in the hall. Nowak: – It is thanks to the joint efforts of our guests, American Polonia, erstwhile US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Ambassador Jerzy Kozminski, Senator Barbara Mikulski and Polish and American society that we are in NATO. Mr President, Prime Minister, Minister, thank you for letting us live in a safe country. present you can see how crucial this decision was. The University of Warsaw is always open to you.

Here and now

The beginning speech was given by Radosław Sikorski, Minister of abroad Affairs of Poland: – The introduction of Poland to the North Atlantic Alliance was a large cross-party work, from which we should be proud. It was thanks, among another things, to safety guarantees provided by the Polish Alliance that it could develop. Who knows if we would have become members of the European Union so rapidly without NATO membership? erstwhile celebrating the success of twenty-five years ago, however, we must not forget for a minute what is happening here and now beyond our east border. I think everyone in this hall feels the seriousness of the minute and the burden of history. erstwhile again, dark clouds are gathering for our country. We face akin dilemmas as our ancestors. The difference is that, unlike the past, Poland is not alone today. He is simply a associate of the strongest military alliance in planet history.

The next point of the conference was the conversation with erstwhile president Aleksandr Kwasniewski and Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek moderated by Ambassador Tadeusz Diem. During the debate, politicians spoke about Poland's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance and the contemporary challenges for NATO countries associated with Russia's aggression into Ukraine.

– Entering the transition way after 1990, Poland had various problems to solve. 1 of them was to build democracy, the another to build a marketplace economy, and the 3rd to guarantee security, which was topped by our country's entry into NATO. From the position of twenty-five years, we are little safe present than we were in 1999. At the time, it seemed to us that we were making a historical decision, very effectively supported by military environments. However, we did not think that we could find ourselves at a minute like this," said Aleksander Kwasniewski.

– No 1 had any doubts in the Western countries where Poland is heading. It was clear we all wanted NATO. After pulling on the mast in the Brussels office of the Polish flag, I returned rapidly to the country, where I invited in front of the cameras all the erstwhile 7 prime ministers. We were profoundly concerned, but besides smiling. We knew this was the time of the breakthrough," said Prof. Jerzy Buzek.