After the official commemoration ceremony, General Jones met with Poland’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, and presented him with a special statement President Obama wrote on the occasion of the anniversary.
General James L. Jones and Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski, answer media questions
The President sent his warmest wishes for continued friendship between the United States and Poland and said: “We celebrate together the determination of the people of Poland to fight authoritarianism and to choose democracy and freedom.” This anniversary reminds us that the United States and Poland have long been bound by the deep ties among our people, our shared values of democracy and human rights, and our commitment to partner on behalf of our common security and prosperity.
Additional members of the Presidential Delegation included: the Honorable Victor Ashe, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Poland, the Honorable Marcy Kaptur, U.S. House of Representative from Ohio, Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe, National Security Council.
President Obama’s Statement on the Occasion of the 70th Anniversary of World War II Outbreak
On September 1, 2009, as Poland commemorates the 70th Anniversary of World War II Outbreak with a series of official events in Gdańsk, President of the United States, Barack Obama, issued a special statement delivered to Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, by General James L. Jones, the President’s National Security Advisor, who leads the U.S. delegation in Gdańsk.
“On behalf of the people of the United States, I join my voice with those commemorating this anniversary; in expressing our admiration and gratitude to all those who have stood for freedom, hope, and the strength of the human spirit over adversity and tyranny; and in sending my warmest wishes for continued friendship between the United States and Poland,” said President Obama.
“We celebrate together the determination of the people of Poland to fight authoritarianism and to choose democracy and freedom. Today, we live in a different era in which the United States and Poland are close allies, partners in meeting global challenges to our security and prosperity, and in supporting fundamental human rights around the world.”
Please click on the link to read the full text of the President’s Statement.
http://poland.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/ww.pdf
Source: http://poland.usembassy.gov/embassy-events-2009/