Point of order by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy following the UNGA Statement by President of Poland Andrzej Duda
Mr. President,
I’ve had to take the floor under a point of order, since what we’ve just heard from the GA rostrum is anti-Russian rhetoric by a Head of State, who the GA deemed fit to speak off the agenda.
The President of the General Assembly is well aware that we did have doubts regarding the expediency of holding today's meeting. As it turned out, our intuition did not fail us, and the President of Poland devoted much of his speech to vilifying our country, stigmatizing us and advancing a divisive agenda at the United Nations rather than a unifying one. We consider this disrespectful not only to ourselves, but also to all the representatives of UN member States who gathered here today.
Colleagues, despite the fact that on February 24, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia, one of Poland's leaders today propagated the logic of continued hostilities to achieve piece in Ukraine through force. In his perverted world view, all evil comes from Russia and its actions – and this is very telling, since forging an anti-Russian coalition and pitting our neighbors against us is the only plan of action that the Polish leadership has furthered for over 20 years now.
Mr. President,
I had the opportunity to work in Poland for more than three years, and I was always wondering how the friendly attitude of ordinary Poles towards Russians and their pragmatic interest in interacting with our country could couple with the blatant Russophobia of the Polish elites. The Polish people often write to us apologizing for the stance taken by their leadership, including for their support for those in Ukraine who today whitewash and glorify the accomplices of Hitler's executioners and make heroes of the nationalists responsible for blood-chilling massacres of Poles, Jews, Russians, Roma and Ukrainians. I urge you to heed the opinion of your fellow citizens.
We lost 27 million people fighting the Hitlerites who inter alia perpetrated mass atrocities in Poland – incidentally, more than 600,000 Soviet soldiers gave their lives for the liberation of that country. We are pained to see what is happening in Poland and the Baltic States with regard to historical memory. And we do not understand why Poland, whose people have suffered from different wars for many centuries, is today in the vanguard of those who are instigating a new world war, despite the efforts of various parties to prevent such a war.
Mr. President,
In conclusion, let me remind you of a Polish proverb that is echoing a Russian one “If you dig a pit for others, you will fall into it yourself”, I will quote it for you in your native language: “Kto pod kim dołki kopie, ten sam w nie wpada.”
We would like to advise you the following, Mr. Duda – Heed this folk wisdom and abandon anti-Russian agendas and Russophobic narratives in favor of efforts to promote a unifying agenda and projects geared for cooperation with Russia rather than for hostility towards it. This is the only way to ensure a lasting and sustainable peace in Europe, which meets the interest of all its peoples, including the Poles.
Thank you.
