The Seventh International Forum Via Carpatia took place from 11 to 13 November. This year, for the first time, the capital of Ukraine hosted the Forum instead of the Carpathian region. Representatives of about 70 Ukrainian and foreign media joined the Forum’s coverage
The discussion panels of the Seventh International Forum for Central and Eastern Europe Via Carpatia were broadcast live by Espresso TV channel and the Polish public broadcaster TVP Worldwide, and the event was covered by NHK, a Japanese TV company, and ZDF, a German broadcaster.
The forum brought together leading analysts, politicians, diplomats, military officers and experts from both countries. The delegation of parliamentarians from
The delegation of parliamentarians from the Republic of Poland was headed by Marcin Bosacki, Chairman of the Polish-Ukrainian Parliamentary Group of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland.
Cultural diplomacy, information and military security, and top areas for cooperation with the EU were the topics of panel discussions at the Ukrainian-Polish meeting.
‘Our common priority is the defence of Europe,’ said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar at the opening of the international conference. He expressed hope for Poland’s support during its presidency of the European Union next year to open the EU’s doors to Ukraine.
Marcin Bosacki, Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, Chairman of the Polish-Ukrainian Parliamentary Group, stressed that there is no closer partner for Ukraine than Poland.
‘Ukraine and Poland have common strategic interests. If Ukraine is free, self-sufficient, part of the EU and NATO, Poland will be more secure and developed,’ said Marcin Bosacki.
Security and defence, as well as energy cooperation and Ukraine’s reconstruction, were the topics of panel discussions, during which important statements were made by the speakers.
Today, Ukraine is counting on the solidarity of our Euro-Atlantic partners, as the scale of the war’s destruction reaches about USD 500 billion. This was emphasised by Oleksiy Ryabikin, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.
Mykola Kolisnyk, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine, stressed the importance of strategic partnership and mutual support between Ukraine and Poland: we have related gas and electricity infrastructure, common goals of the ‘green transition’ and capacity development.
Ukrainian MP Artem Kovalev, co-chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s group on interparliamentary relations with the Republic of Poland, stressed that Poland has already proven to be a leading logistics and military hub for Ukraine. ‘And after our victory, Poland’s role in rebuilding Ukraine will only increase.
‘The legislative and executive branches should work together, especially when we talk about European integration,’ said Mykola Kniazhytskyi, MP, co-chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s group on interparliamentary relations with the Republic of Poland, founder of the Democratic Forum NGO. During the Forum’s security discussions, he noted that Russia will try to destabilise Ukraine’s relations with its Western partners, including the United States. And it is Poland that has become a leader in supporting Ukraine in Europe today.
‘At the level of parliaments, we have an effective dialogue, and we have also agreed to create joint groups to work in various areas, to raise funds for the restoration of our country. The decisions of their government to some extent depend on the opinion of Polish parliamentarians. The Polish experience is invaluable for Ukrainians, both at the state and local government levels. We need this experience for our European integration,’ said Knyazhytskyi. He also presented to the Forum participants the activities of the Defence Information Consortium: security and defence experts prepare analytical reports for the country’s defence needs. This is an opportunity for the state to obtain the opinions of independent experts and consult with leading analysts. ‘Our task was to create an extremely strong expert pool that would work for the needs of Ukrainian defence and the Ukrainian state. ‘The All-Ukrainian Democratic Forum and Espresso TV channel support this initiative,’ said Mykola Kniazhytskyi.
‘Representing local governments in Poland, I can say that we have a lot to learn from you, namely, how you work with critical infrastructure and self-defence,’ said Jacek Karnowski, a member of the Polish Sejm, during the discussion on reconstruction. He also advised to decentralise power as much as possible. ‘In my opinion, the maximum power should be transferred to the lowest level, which ensures the highest efficiency,’ said Jacek Karnowski.
Counteracting disinformation, hostile propaganda and attempts to divide Ukrainians and Poles was the topic of another panel discussion.
‘Old stories that once divided us and continue to influence our cooperation today should be left to historians and removed from the agenda. The partners should act on a transparent ideological basis,’ said Michał Broniatowski, Director and Editor-in-Chief of TVP World.
The participants of the Ukrainian-Polish meeting declared their intentions to cooperate in strategic areas, agreed to continue dialogue, implement joint initiatives and engage other Central and Eastern European countries in partnership.
Every year, the Via Carpatia forum ends with the presentation of the Stanislav Vincenz Prize. This year’s winner of the Stanisław Wincęs Award named after the Polish philosopher and chronicler of the Hutsul region, Stanisław Wincęs, for humanitarian service and contribution to regional development, was Rostyslav Derzhypilskyi, a director, actor, People’s Artist of Ukraine, and General Director and Artistic Director of the Ivano-Frankivsk Drama Theatre.
The conference ‘Ukrainian-Polish Meeting’ was initiated by the co-chairs of the parliamentary group on interparliamentary relations with the Republic of Poland Mykola Kniazhytskyi (EU), Artem Kovalev (SN) and the chairman of the Polish-Ukrainian parliamentary group of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland Marcin Bosacki.
The Via Carpatia 2024 Forum is organised by the All-Ukrainian Democratic Forum, with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, the Ukrainian Book Institute, TVP World, and Espresso.
Source: Espresso
