Anders Rasmussen with a courier medal from Warsaw. “The room is valuable, but it is no freedom of the price”

Anders Fogh Rasmussen's speech

Source: tvn24

The former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen was awarded the Medal of Kurier from Warsaw. – The room is valuable, but it is no freedom of price – he emphasized, receiving the distinction on Wednesday evening at the Warsaw Museum of the Warsaw Uprising.

Opening the ceremony, the director of the Warsaw Uprising Museum Jan Ołdakowski reminded that the patron of the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański award had never found his mission to be completed. He emphasized that today work for the community of free nations is not completed.

– This was shown by Russian aggression to Ukraine – he noted. Referring to Jan Nowak-Jeziorański's life and activities, he emphasized that, however, you must never lose hope. “You have to be adamant, persistent and brave regardless of adversity,” he said.

“Also for love for Poland”

Paweł Kowal, a member of the prize chapter and chairman of the Sejm Foreign Affairs Committee, explained that Rasmussen was honored with a medal, including for “persistent and consistent building of transatlantic ties”. He emphasized that the chapter decided to grant him a medal “also for love for Poland”.

– There are few politicians in the West who talked so many times about our country – he noted.

Turning to Rasmussen, he said: – We need your wisdom and your northern restraint today.

“NATO has returned to its original mission”

Thanking for the distinction, Rasmussen assessed that Jan Nowak-Jeziorański's whole life was devoted to the liberation of Poland from tyranny.

– I look at your country today and I see that his vision has been realized, Poland has been reborn. This is an example for the countries of Old Europe. We have forgotten that freedom must always be fought. Today, Tyrania has challenged us again, he said. “Today we have to rediscover the bravery of those who fought for this city in 1944,” he said.

Referring to the current situation, he emphasized that “NATO returned to its original mission – preventing Russian aggression.” – But this time NATO must accomplish this mission with discussion American leadership. We have a American president in front of us, who resorts to threats and forced to achieve his own goals – he assessed.

Three tasks for Europe

According to the former head of NATO, “Europe must do three things and do them quickly.”

– First of all, he must switch his economies to war realities. This means not easy decisions in the Ministry of Finance (…). Investments in defense are investments in a room. Secondly, Europe must take responsibility for securing the eastern flank of the free world. This means securing Ukraine and the support of all the brave men and women who are now fighting for our freedom. Each peace agreement must be fair for Ukraine and must guarantee its security, territorial integrity and the right to self -determination. Thirdly, we must focus on strengthening the alliance of democracy in Europe by deepening political and economic ties with free nations around the world. These actions should start with India and then expand to the entire Pacific region – he calculated.

“We also support America's security interests”

“In addition, if we want the United States to support Europe's security, we must show that we also support America's security interests, even defending Taiwan's freedom and democracy,” he said. – We want to support our freedom and democracy and fight for them. In fact, the room is valuable, but it is no freedom of price, “Rasmussen pointed out.

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Kurier medal from Warsaw He is to commemorate Jan Nowak-Jeziorański-the legendary courier and emissary of the Home Army Headquarters and the Polish government in exile. The award is granted to people, institutions or organizations that are guided by the same as Nowak-Jeziorański rules and values ​​and realize them in public life. In Poland, but above all in the international arena. The Medal of Kurier from Warsaw is a distinction for merits in strengthening Poland's bonds with the West, maintaining good Euro -Atlantic relations, disseminating ideas and attitudes close to the Warsaw insurgents, such as the pursuit of freedom and independence, as well as building community and democracy. This distinction is also to honor those who actively remind about the fight of Poles in World War II and our contribution to the creation of the world of Western values.

Jan Nowak-Jeziorańskiactually Zdzisław Jeziorański (1914-2005) in 1943-45 under the pseudonym Jan Nowak was a courier and emissary, transmitting news between the Polish underground state and the Polish government in exile. After the war, he remained in the west, where he worked as the head of the Polish Section on Radio BBC, and then he was the director of the Polish Radio Free Europe for a long time. After leaving Radio Free Europe in 1976, for two decades, he collaborated with the American Congress. He is a bachelor of the Order of the White Eagle – the oldest and highest decoration of the State Republic of Poland.