Andrzej Duda made the statement in the northwestern Polish village of Pszczelnik on Sunday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The Polish president, alongside his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nausėda, attended a ceremony to mark the 90th anniversary of a plane crash that claimed the lives of two Lithuanian pilots, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, according to officials.
In a speech to the gathering, Duda said: “I honour the heroic Lithuanian pilots who were killed here 90 years ago, in the service to their homeland.”
The Polish president added: “Long live independent Lithuania, long live independent Poland. May God look after our countries and our nations.”
‘Poland and Lithuania are united as never before’
Duda stated: “We are united as never before, especially in the face of the difficult times in which it fell to us to live and work.”
The Polish president stressed: “I am deeply convinced that Polish-Lithuanian cooperation, our close ties and a similar view of the threats surrounding us, represent a priceless asset in the face of current challenges, but also in the face of the future.”
He added: “I deeply believe that we’ll succeed in maintaining this unity for decades and, by the grace of God, for centuries to come.”
The Polish president noted that “on the anniversary of the tragic death of Lithuanian heroes, Lithuanian people all over the world celebrate the day of Lithuanian unity.”
Duda went on to state: “We, Polish people, well understand the feelings that accompany our Lithuanian friends as they stand before the memorial in Pszczelnik. Pride in the outstanding achievement of their compatriots, and gratitude for their patriotic sacrifice, is mixed with reflection about a tragic twist of fate.”
The Polish president also paid tribute to Polish pilots Franciszek Żwirko and Stanisław Wigura, who were killed in a plane crash in 1932.
He added: “We are also reminded of the tragic death of Polish President Lech Kaczyński, in the Smoleńsk air disaster on April 10, 2010.”
Duda stressed: “We have no doubt that they all died in the service to their homeland, carrying out missions that, in their hearts and in their essence, were of national importance. All these examples of patriotic sacrifice give us inspiration to strengthen the sovereignty, security and agency of our countries and nations.”
Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas died on July 17, 1933, when their Lituanica plane crashed in what is today the northwestern Polish village of Pszczelnik, during a flight from New York to the then Lithuanian capital of Kaunas, the Polish president’s office said.
The two pilots had managed to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean, and they had dedicated their flight to Lithuania, according to news outlets.
Soon after their tragic death, Darius and Girėnas became the national heroes of Lithuania, the Polish president’s office said.
(pm)
Source: PAP, prezydent.pl