75th anniversary of the liberation of Breda
Polish President Andrzej Duda said in Breda on Tuesday during ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the 1944 liberation of the Dutch city of Breda by Polish allied forces that the sacrifice of Polish soldiers should be the foundation of a new Europe.
"Let the sacrifice made by Polish soldiers be the foundation of a new Europe, in which free nations will live in the spirit of friendship and peace, will respect each other and will build a good common future," President Duda said in Breda.
President Duda and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in Breda on Tuesday took part in observances marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Dutch city of Breda from the Germans in 1944 by the First Polish Armoured Division under the command of General Stanislaw Maczek.
The Polish head of state said that many Polish soldiers, as well as their commander, General Maczek, were buried at the Polish Honorary Military Cemetery in Breda. "This cemetery is a unique piece of Polish land on Dutch soil. This makes us recall the price of our freedom, but it also gives us hope that the sacrifice made by those heroes will be the foundation of a new Europe."
Commenting on the visit, presidential aide Krzysztof Szczerski said the visit came at a special time in Polish-Dutch relations, as this year marks both the centenary of diplomatic relations between both countries and the Breda liberation anniversary.
On Wednesday, Andrzej Duda will meet the Netherland's PM Mark Rutte at a working breakfast to discuss bilateral ties, economic cooperation, EU affairs, security and Brexit. Duda will also speak with the heads of the Dutch parliament's two houses, later in the day the presidential couple will meet representatives of Holland's Polish community.
In Holland, Andrzej Duda is also scheduled to meet with representatives of international institutions, including the president of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the director general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
As part of the two-day trip, the president will visit the city of Rotterdam in order to sign a letter of intent between the city's seaport and the Polish ports of Szczecin and Swinoujscie.
Source:PAP