The visit of deputy prime minister, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski in Miami will take place on September 2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed about it in a message published on the department's website.
Visit of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the USA. Will give the prize to the Cuban oppositionist
“The head of Polish diplomacy Radosław Sikorski on September 2 this year in Miami will give the Solidarity Award of Lech Wałęsa” – we read in the communiqué.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the prize laureate will be “an outstanding representative of the Cuban opposition, repeatedly persecuted by his beliefs and the fight for human rights.” The name of the prize winner was not disclosed in the communication.
Handing the prize is not the only purpose of the visit of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “During a visit to Miami, Minister Radosław Sikorski will meet with representatives of Cuban emigration, Polonia and politicians of the Republican and Democratic Party,” informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Interestingly, President Karol Nawrocki is to go to the United States on the same day, who will meet in the White House with Donald Trump on September 3.
Solidarity Award Lech Wałęsa reactivated in 2024.
Solidarity Award Lech Wałęsa was established in 2014 on the initiative of Minister Radosław Sikorski. In 2024 it was reactivated. The distinction is granted for special actions for the promotion and protection of democracy and civic freedoms. Winner of the Solidarity Award Lech Wałęsa may become a person or an organization who, acting in the spirit of international solidarity, contributes to strengthening democracy and civic freedoms in the world.
The winners to date are: the leader of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dżemilew (2014), Żanna Niemcowa (2015), journalist and social activist, daughter of the murdered Russian oppositionist Boris Niemcowa, and after the reactivation of the initiative in 2024, Paweł Łyczka, Belarusian oppositionist, Prodemocratic activist and deputy chairman of the United Cabinet. Transitional Belarus.
The laureate is elected by a chapter, which includes: Lech Wałęsa (chairman of the chapter), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, Minister of Culture and National Heritage and a representative of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. Each of the winners receives a statuette. The Solidarity Award also has a significant financial dimension – PLN 1 million.
