2024-05-03 15:31 update: 2024-05-06, 13:54
Andrzej Duda. Photo PAP/Leszek Szymański
Polish President Andrzej Duda, in his official address marking the 233rd anniversary of the passage of Poland's historic 1791 May 3rd Constitution, the first document of its kind in Europe, has said that the first three days of May are "a patriotic-historical marathon."
"The first three days of May are a large patriotic and historical marathon in Poland," Duda said, addressing a ceremony in Warsaw's Zamkowy Square on Friday.
The president referred to May 1, the 20th anniversary of Poland's EU membership, May 2, the Polish National Flag Day and the Day of the Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad, and May 3, the anniversary of the 1791 constitution.
"This marathon has been showing us where we are from, where we are and, above all, where we are going or where we should go, keeping in mind our history," Duda said.
Duda praised the changes in Poland and stated that Poland looked better and better owing to its EU membership, and thanks to the wisdom of Polish politicians and their important decisions taken over the recent decades.
Having underlined that Poland had always been part of the West, Duda said that it was true irrespective of whether it was a sovereign country or not.
"We have always belonged to the West. We are and we have been (part of the West - PAP) irrespective of what was going on, whether Poland was on the map of the world or not, or whether it was a sovereign country or not," the president continued, adding that all attempts to impose Russian rule had always failed.
"They never were successful thanks to the tough spirit of the Polish people and our deep-rooted tradition, Christian tradition present here for 1,058 years," Duda said.
Speaking about the most urgent task facing Poland, Duda said that it was the necessity to build a modern army.
"This is our most urgent task. We must build an army - modern and strong, which will be potentially able to stop any aggressor," Duda said, adding that no one would dare attack us if we have such armed forces.
"Poland's sovereignty and independence should be defended at any cost," the president said, adding that this was the most important obligation for the country today, especially when "a monster" had been reborn, one of the most dangerous ones for Poland, namely, Russian imperialism.
"A voracious monster, a dragon, which had repeatedly devoured us in the past, has today been trying to devour the Ukrainian people, their land and their state," Duda said, expressing his gratitude to the Polish people for their support offered to Ukrainians.
Present at the observances were Szymon Holownia, Speaker of the Sejm, lower house of parliament, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz as well as other government officials and army commanders.
The May 3 Constitution was passed on May 3, 1791, by the Great Sejm (grand parliament) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and was the first document of its kind in Europe, predating the famous French Constitution and following the American one by only four years.
It introduced a hereditary constitutional monarchy (in place of the free election of kings), religious tolerance and the division of power into the legislative, executive and judicial branches, among other provisions. (PAP)
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