EMBASSY EVENTS 2009

Ambassador Ashe Visits Toruń, Gniew, Sopot, and Gdynia

11 March 2009

Ambassador Ashe with Wojciech Szczurek, the Mayor of Gdynia

U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe, traveled to Toruń, Gniew and the tri-city area called “Trójmiasto” in northern Poland on the South coast of the Baltic Sea on March 8-10, where he visited Gdynia and Sopot.  This was the Ambassador’s second visit to the region this year (he was in Sopot and Gdańsk on Januray 1-2).  During the trip, Ambassador Ashe met with local government officials and toured historic sites including the Castle in Gniew and the House of Copernicus in Toruń, where the Ambassador also attended a debate at Copernicus Univeristy and gave a speech on “Old vs. New Europe.”  In Gdynia, Ambassador Ashe toured the Southern Pier where he walked along the waterfront to see the tall ships “Dar Pomorza” and "Dar Młodzieży" and the museum ship “Błyskawica” (a Grom-class destroyer serving in the Polish Navy during World War II). Ambassador Ashe also visited the Navy Museum.  Among the officials Ambassador Ashe met with during the trip were: Piotr Całbecki, the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region, Michał Zaleski, the Mayor of Toruń, Prof. Andrzej Radzimiński, Rector of Copernicus University, Bogdan Badziong, the Mayor of Gniew, Wojciech Szczurek, the Mayor of Gdynia, and Admiral Andrzej Karweta, the new Navy Commander.  CMDR Tom Williamson joined the Ambassador for this meeting.