On the 73rd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, Sejm Speaker Marek Kuchcinski paid tribute to Polish airmen at the military cemetery in Solymár near Budapest.

During the state ceremonies, the letter was read out on behalf of Marek Kuchciński by Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Ryszard Terlecki.

Letter from the Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński on the 73rd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising

Dear Sirs

Participants of the Warsaw Uprising, Families of the Insurgents

Ladies and gentlemen

Residents of Warsaw

The three words God, Honour, Homeland have played an exceptional role in Polish history for centuries. They motivated our ancestors to heroic deeds and in everyday life. The Warsaw Uprising should be seen in these categories.

People of Warsaw 73 years ago took up a fight for independence, for faith and in the name of dignity. The Warsaw Uprising was, on the one hand, directed against Germany, because German Nazism was a negation of the values of the West, a new incarnation of barbarism and paganism, and on the other hand it was supposed to stop communism, based on hostility to freedom, church and religion. The Warsaw Uprising, like many other events in our past, such as the defence of Jasna Gora or the battles of Vienna and Warsaw, contributed to the lasting foundation of Polishness on Catholic faith and trust in Divine Providence. It is our way of existing in Europe and understanding the world and politics.

The uprising also had a concrete political and military dimension. It was not only a losing fight. Its outbreak caused intentional stopping of the Soviet offensive on the Vistula. Geopolitical calculations of Joseph Stalin about taking over the whole Germany became unrealistic. While the Red Army stood on the Vistula waiting for the uprising to fail, the Allied armies were liberating France and approaching the Rhine. Western Europe became part of the free world, a beachhead of freedom and democracy, protected by the American presence. Modern Europe also came into being as a result of the great efforts of our people. We must remember this and proclaim it to the world.

For our homeland and for the next generations of Poles in Poland and abroad the Uprising is a sign of historical memory, a model of patriotism and love of freedom. There would have been no uprising if it had not been for the January insurgents, Pilsudski's legionaries and soldiers of the war of 1920. Their efforts gave birth to the Second Republic, whose 100th anniversary will be celebrated next year. The Warsaw Uprising was its last drama.

On the 73rd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, let us pay tribute to its participants who fell in battle, were murdered by the Germans and the communists, and died at home or in exile.

May the Good Lord reward them for their bravery and sacrifice.

Warsaw, August 1, 2017.