​President Rivlin welcomes Polish President Duda to Israel

(Communicated by the President’s Spokesperson)
 
President Reuven Rivlin this morning (Tuesday, 17 January 2017) hosted an official welcoming ceremony for President of Poland H.E. Andrzej Duda, marking his official visit to the State of Israel. President Rivlin received President Duda on the red carpet before the national anthems were played, after which both Presidents reviewed an honor guard and delivered brief statements.
 
President Rivlin welcomed President Duda of Poland on his arrival and thanked him also for attending the funeral of Israel’s Ninth President, Shimon Peres. He went on to speak of the close ties between the two countries, and said, “Our meeting with officials of the Polish Government are always replete with content and interest, and are a testament to the close ties between our states and our peoples; close historical ties, alongside dealing bravely with a complex, rich, and painful past. Today, there is perhaps no field in which there is not unique cooperation between the two countries. Among them, there is enhanced trade and relations in the fields of science, culture, sport, and security – and I hope we will tighten this cooperation even further.”
 
He added, “The ties between Israel, the European Union, and Poland are a cornerstone for our foreign policy. We are not only trade partners, we share values, challenges, and geographical proximity, and it is important we coordinate positions in relation to the emerging international agenda.
 
“Mr. President, you come to Israel, to Jerusalem, at a time when we are facing a wave of terror. We have lived for many years in the shadow of the threat of terror, yet we keep our heads high. Despite this struggle, we succeed in developing here an industry of innovation, of creativity, and initiative, and we want to deepen the cooperation between us.”
 
President Rivlin concluded by urging Polish citizens to visit Israel, “Come and get to know Israel in person. Come and see firsthand the history there is here, down every path and alleyway, and the advanced future of industry and information technology.”
 
President Duda thanked President Rivlin for his visit to Poland two years earlier, and for his participation then in the inauguration ceremony of the Jewish Heritage Museum in Warsaw. He said, “This wonderful Museum is testament to our shared history of 2,000 years. This important Museum is in essence for the younger generation in Poland and indeed young Israelis visiting Poland, so they can see the deep ties between the peoples, and the contribution of the Jewish community to building the Polish state and culture.” He gave as an example, the life of the late Shimon Peres who grew up in Poland.
 
He went on to say, “Many Polish citizens of Jewish origin, gave their lives in defense of Polish sovereignty before the Nazi occupation in 1939. Many paid the ultimate price and we the Polish people remember them always.” He added, “In our history there have also been dramatic and difficult moments. The German invasion of Poland, and what occurred after in the territories occupied by the Nazis, in that factory of death, and the Holocaust, which so deeply damaged the Jewish people. But this was also a spur toward the building of a strong and safe state, in the building of which so many Jews who were born in Poland took part.
 
“For many years Poland and Israel have been bound by close ties,” President Duda added, “Poland always supported Israel, and I want to assure it will continue to do so.”
 
He concluded his statement by noting the need for dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians. He said, “It is very important to us that these relations will be as much as possible out of mutual respect, the consideration of the mutual needs of the peoples is important in the discussion and dialogue, and the way to ensure this mutuality in the relations is without imposition by other countries.”
 
Following their statements, the two Presidents went on to hold a working meeting during which President Rivlin spoke in relation to the French hosted summit which had taken place the previous weekend. He said, “Trust is not built through international summits, only with the clear understanding of both sides that we live here together.”
 
President Duda also spoke during the meeting about the fight against anti-Semitism in Poland. He commented, “I have said in the past that all who hold anti-Semitic ideas in Poland are as one who desecrates a grave, a despicable act. I also said that those within my people who took part in the pogrom in Kielecki after the end of the Second World War excommunicated themselves from the Polish people. This is my deep conviction. History is sometimes difficult, we are interested in it and try to discover the facts, even the complicated facts. Because there were provocations which in the end led to specific events. But respect for human beings is a supreme value which should not be affected by any kind of provocation. As I said, not all people can be heroes, but we must demand from everyone human decency.”

President and First Lady Rivlin host state dinner for the President and First Lady of Poland

(Communicated by the President’s Spokesperson)
 
President Reuven & First Lady Nechama Rivlin this evening (Tuesday, 17 January 2017) hosted at the President’s Residence a state dinner in honor of the visit of President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser of Poland.
 
“It is a great honor for me to host you here in Jerusalem, the eternal city, the city of justice, and of hope for peace,” began President Rivlin in his address. “Your visit to Israel is another link in the chain which goes back through the close ties between Poland and the State of Israel. This is a chain which is looking to the future in the ongoing, direct, and multidisciplinary cooperation between Israel and Poland, between Israel and the European Union. And yes, it is a chain in which in the middle sits the great tragedy of the Holocaust - whose open wounds still hurt, and whose presence in the relations between our countries can never be ignored.”
 
He continued, “Israel follows closely the academic and political discussion in Poland on the issue of remembrance and responsibility, and we appreciate the internal clarity and soul searching within Polish society. We don’t always share consensus, yet we rely on, and are sure, that Poland will continue to be committed to comprehensive and unlimited research of the period during the Holocaust: as was mentioned in the joint memorandum of understanding between our governments last November. Now and always, I have thought that politicians have a duty to shape the future, to make history. While it is on the historians to define the past, and research history. It is most appropriate that one should not lapse into the field of the other.”
 
The President also spoke about the many areas in which the two countries were cooperating; including economy, science and technology, cyber, security systems, and culture. The President also noted that there was much work to be done to develop further in these fields.
 
President Rivlin concluded by saying, “Poland was the first country I visited as President of Israel. In Warsaw, the capital of Poland, I inaugurated the Jewish Heritage Museum. In that special event I said, ‘even if the Jews were cut away from Poland, it is impossible to disconnect Poland from the Jews’. It is impossible to erase such a rich, full, and painful history. And from the past to the future. I want to conclude my remarks with the blessing I started with. Welcome to Jerusalem. Welcome to the place where the future and the past meet. The place where Poland and Israel are building their shared futures together.”
 
President Duda thanked the President for his warm words and said, “Before we came into the hall this evening, the President joked to me that all mothers in Israel are ‘Polish mothers’, and I want to send to the Israeli people the thanks and love of all the Polish people, to the Polish mothers of Israel.”
 
He continued, “I arrive here with a genuine feeling of being at home. As if I had returned to a place I had been to, though I have never previously visited. I am sure that this is a sensation which also accompanies many Jews when they visit Poland. When we visit home we sometimes take in the ambiance, the climate, the similar sense tied to the long shared memories of both peoples. Poland continues to be evidence to the integration of each other's cultures. The flourishing of the Jewish community in Poland is a unique phenomenon in Europe, and it is due to that shared character. For more than a quarter of a century we have been building close bilateral relations founded on cultural, business, and security cooperation. This is a relationship with the acceptance of the collective memory of both countries. The historical truth of this relationship is creating our shared future and it is this which will continue to nurture the Jewish community in Poland, and the ongoing relations between our two countries.”