embassy events 2009

Ambassador Ashe Receives the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland

25 September 2009

U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe, received the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland

On September 25, during a farewell ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe, received the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej). Minister Mariusz Handzlik presented the Order on behalf of President Lech Kaczynski, who attends the UNGA session in New York this week. Created in 1974, the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland is a Polish order awarded to those who have rendered great service to the Polish nation. During his five-year tenure in Poland, Ambassador Ashe has visited all 16 provinces of Poland and over 185 Polish cities and towns. He is the 24th American Ambassador to Poland and the second longest serving Ambassador. “The five years in Poland turned out to be a truly fulfilling, extraordinary experience,” he said. Ambassador Ashe departs Poland on September 26 and returns to his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, where he served as Mayor for 16 years, the longest mayoral tenure in the city’s 218-year history.