polonia201616On September 5, 2016, The Casimir Pulaski Museum in Warka received representatives of Polish organizations from all over the world, including Brazil, Australia, Canada, the USA, South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Lithuania.

Earlier that day, sixteen members of the Polish Advisory Council (Polonijna Rada Konsultacyjna) at the Senate Speaker's office received their nominations from the hands of Senate Speaker Stanislaw Karczewski. Following the official part in the Senate, the newly appointed councilors visited The Casimir Pulaski Museum in Warka. They were joined by Deputy Minister Jan Dziedziczak from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and took a guided tour of the Museum led by Museum Director Iwona Stefaniak. After the tour, the councilors were invited to the Museum and Education Center, where they held discussions with the Senate Speaker, Grojec District Governor Marek Scislowski, Warka Mayor Dariusz Gizka, and Warka Brewery CEO Leszek Kaluza.

Director Iwona Stefaniak thanked Senate Speaker Stanislaw Karczewski for arranging the visit at the Museum, congratulated the councilors on their nominations, and invited them to return in the future. Grojec District Governor Marek Scislowski and Warka Mayor Dariusz Gizka joined her on the stage and also thanked the group for this opportunity. Furthermore, Mayor Gizka gave a brief description of the town, and invited the representatives to take advantage of Warka potential as a tourist destination with its nature preserve, the abundance of animal life, and rich cultural background.

Speaker Stanislaw Karczewski introduced all newly appointed councilors and offered each of them the chance to give a brief speech. The Polish Advisory Council includes: Stanislaw Aloszko, President of the Federation de la Polonia de France (Federacja Polonii Francuskiej, Polish French Federation); Adam Bak, President of the Adam M. Bak Foundation; Maria Szonert Binienda, Vice President of Polish Affairs at the Polish American Congress; Andzelika Borys, President of The Union of Poles in Belarus; Emilia Chmielowa, President of the Federation of Polish Organizations in Ukraine; Halina Csucs, Polish Affairs Spokesperson at the Hungarian National Assembly; Jan Cytowski, President of the Council of World Polonia; Adam Gajkowski, Deputy President of the Our Polonia Association in Australia (Stowarzyszenie Nasza Polonia), Barbara Kukulska, President of the Polish Association in Johannesburg, South Africa; Tomasz Machura, The Federation of Poles in Great Britain CIO; Fr. Zdzislaw Malczewski from the Missão Católica Polonesa no Brasil (Polska Misja Katolicka w Brazylii, Polish Catholic Mission in Brazil); Prof. Piotr Maloszewski, Deputy Chairman of the Christian Center for Promoting Polish Culture, Traditions, and Language in Germany (Chrzescijanskie Centrum Krzewienia Kultury, Tradycji i Jezyka Polskiego w Niemczech); Tadeusz Pilat, President of European Union of Polish Communities (Europejska Unia Wspolnot Polonijnych) in Sweden; Ewa Stasinowska, President of Gazeta Polska Club in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Aleksandra Slusarek, President of Polish Returnee Association (Zwiazek Repatriantow RP) from Kazakhstan; and Rita Tamasuniene, a Lithuanian MP and president of the parliamentary faction AWPL-ZCHR (Akcja Wyborcza Polakow na Litwie-Zwiazek Chrzescijanskich Rodzin, Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance, EAPL-CFA).

After the meeting, the Polish Advisory Council went to Krynica in the south of Poland for the 2016 Polonia Forum and 2016 Economic Forum on September 6 through 8, 2016.

We would like to thank Speaker Stanislaw Karczewski for putting his trust in our organization and inviting the Polish Advisory Council to the Museum and Warka. We congratulate all councilors and thank them for the opportunity of meeting with them.