France-Poland/La Guerche-de-Bretagne. Reunion day for the twinning with Poland

The twinnings participate in the construction of the European citizenship and peace. This is the message transmitted on Saturday, May 7, 2022, in La Guerche-de-Bretagne, by the representatives of the fifteen Breton associations of twinning with Poland, members of Bretagne-Pologne, as well as the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in France.

The associations of twinning with Poland met on Saturday, May 7, 2022, in La Guerche-de-Bretagne(Ille-et-Vilaine), around the Polish National Day called the Constitution of May 3, 1791.

After a quick visit of the historical center, a few hundred participants had an appointment, for a more solemn time, in the multipurpose room. Children opened the ceremony by singing the European anthem in front of a standing audience.

Many mayors and elected officials of the twin towns were present. We measure even more today the importance of twinning, of the relations of friendship between the peoples that they generate , underlined Elisabeth Guiheneux, in her welcoming speech. The mayor of La Guerche-de-Bretagne paid tribute to the memory of Auguste and Marie-Thérèse Cornée, at the origin of the twinning with Ksiaz, who passed away recently.

Twenty-six years of cooperation and twenty-two years of twinning have built bridges of mutual understanding and trust between our two regions , recalled Irène Gérault, president of the La Guerche-Ksiaz twinning association, which brings together eleven municipalities.

Testimonies, including those of Sylvain Nys, a young student from La Guerche who spent six months in Poland in 2018 as part of his Erasmus program, and of Pierre Méhaignerie, one of the pioneers of cooperation between Ille-et-Vilaine and Poland since 1989, and the songs of Slawek Wojnarowski, a Franco-Polish artist, have enamelled the meeting.

Ukraine in everyone's mind

Ukraine was also present in everyone's mind. We condemn the invasion of Ukraine, said Joseph Menard, president of Bretagne-Pologne. The history of Ukraine is European. I salute the courage of the Ukrainian and Polish people who are welcoming millions of refugees.

Our democracies are fragile, noted Michel Dorin, honorary consul of Poland. You, the twinning committees, have a fundamental work to realize to build the European citizenship.

The conclusion was given to Andrzej Szydlo, Consul General of the Republic of Poland. He said he was impressed by the quality of the relations between Poland and Brittany. Poland is in the forefront of the war in Ukraine. It is a natural reaction, deeply rooted in the Russian policy.

The Bretagne-Pologne association will celebrate its 32nd anniversary in July 2022. The cantonal trip to Ksiaz is cancelled due to the war in Ukraine.

Contact: www.bretagne-pologne.org

Source: www.ouest-france.fr