"Topic number one for us is Ukraine. It's so close to the Polish border, and the developments are very worrying."
Mateusz Stasiek
The American Polish Advisory Council held its annual conference at Yale University this weekend. The group discussed issues ranging from U.S.-Polish relations to the crisis in nearby Ukraine.
The conference brought together more than 100 community members, academics, and government officials from the United States and Poland. The two panel discussions focused on U.S.-Poland partnerships, and Poland’s emerging role in addressing global security challenges.
"Topic number one for us is Ukraine," said Mateusz Stasiek, Deputy Consul General at the Polish Consulate in New York. He said the conference is important for those who want to learn more about national politics and be part of the debate. "It’s so close to the Polish border, and the developments are very worrying. The more we know, the better for us it is."
Poland's ambassador to the United Nations, Boguslaw Winid, spoke during a panel about the U.N.'s role regarding Ukraine. "Very little can be done," he said, because of the structure of the organization and nations' veto power. There are 193 countries that are members of the U.N., "and each and every one do have different threat perceptions, interests," he said. "There are a lot of countries, where this is just one of the conflicts." He mentioned the Middle East, Central Africa, and others.
Derek Barcikowski, executive director of the American Polish Advisory Council (APAC), said that the Polish-American community has always been involved in shaping the U.S.-Poland agenda. "They see Poland’s role emerging in addressing a lot of these conflicts," he said. "Not just in the Baltics, but in continental Europe and beyond." He said the goal of APAC is to engage Polish-Americans in the political process.
There are an estimated ten million in the United States, just over three percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A Piast Institute survey found that Connecticut has the third-largest percentage of poles, at 8.6 percent, behind Michigan and Wisconsin.
