Duda: General nominations are a great commitment in difficult times for Poland

This is a great commitment that is made on your shoulders in difficult times for the Commonwealth, our part of Europe, as well as for the world – said President Andrzej Duda on Friday during the general nomination ceremony.

During the ceremony in front of the Presidential Palace, Andrzej Duda referred to the situation in Ukraine. He reminded that during the war on the war “prosperity often turned into ruins.”

“Not only in the literal sense of their burned houses, companies, workplaces, their property, but very often the ruins remained from their families,” said the president. “Then, when everyone or when many expensive hearts were killed on the battlefield or treacherously murdered. Brutally, in a way that resembles the most terrible pages of history,” he added.

As the president said, in a situation of attack on Poland, which cannot be repelled, “no one will remember the names of ordinary soldiers or simple officers.”

“But the names of the generals will be remembered. For long decades. And sometimes even for centuries. Therefore, this is your great commitment to the Commonwealth, but also to your loved ones and your names. In the face of memory and the future of your families,” said the president, turning to the generals.

We make an accelerated modernization of the Polish Armed Forces on a scale, which we have not dreamed of 10 years ago that we would be implementing at all – said Andrzej Duda.

“You could safely say: after all, this money can be spent on completely different purposes. You can spend more on education, (…) on higher education, it can be spent on research and development. It seems to be defense today. Why? Because we need research and development and why we need education, since it will not be Polish. And since this research and development will not be Polish, if our country will not survive a possible hostile assault,” said the president. “To survive her, it must be able to defend,” he added.

He expressed the hope that “being a return by a citizen of the Commonwealth, a former president” would not hear about the real threat of Poland's military security.

“Until then, before such a situation could happen, the Polish army will be strong enough, well prepared enough, well equipped enough that no one will dare to attack it, because it will be sure that this attack simply will simply fail,” said Andrzej Duda.

KSC/ MML/ LM/