Polish president visits Katyn monument during US trip

Jersey City's mayor gave Duda a model of the statue gifted to him by Andrzej Pityński after the Polish artist completed the monument.

The monument became the centre of a trans-Atlantic spat after Jersey City's mayor announced it would be removed in order to redevelop its home into a park.

After protests and talks between Jersey City officials and the Polish community, it was agreed that the monument would be moved some 60 metres to “a prestigious location” by the Hudson River.

The Polish president and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda also visited the Archive of the Polish Army Veterans' Association in America and met Jews for talks about Polish-Jewish relations.

During the first day of his US visit, President Duda also met members of the UN Eastern Europe Group for lunch.

Duda arrived in New York with his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda ahead of a United Nations Security Council debate on Thursday which is to be chaired by the Polish president.

During the debate, Duda is to make a major speech on the role of international law in maintaining peace and security.

Representatives from around 60 countries are expected to take part in the debate in New York.

Poland on January 1 became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term that ends on December 31, 2019.

The country on May 1 assumed the month-long rotating presidency of the 15-member Council.

Duda is also set to visit Chicago to meet the large Polish community and government officials there before returning to Poland on Sunday. (vb/pk)

Source: Prezydent.pl