Polish president pays tribute to Senator McCain

“Our hearts are filled with grief because of this untimely and very sad loss,” the Polish president added in the missive published on his official website.

The funeral service of Senator Mc Cain, who died of brain cancer aged 81 last week, was held at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday.

Around 2,000 people took part in the event, including former US presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

The ceremony was also attended by the prime minister’s plenipotentiary for international dialogue, Anna Anders, and presidential aide Krzysztof Szczerski.

In his letter to McCain’s wife, Duda said: “Having served the United States of America for more than 60 years, first in the military then in the U.S. Congress, John McCain epitomized the qualities that every patriot should possess.”

Duda mentioned his encounter with McCain during the 2017 Munich Security Conference, which “only confirmed the overwhelming opinion about his unique statesmanship and extensive expertise on the whole range of geopolitical issues, including those pertaining to East and Central Europe.”

Duda also expressed gratitude to McCain for “his unwavering support for the transatlantic bond.”

“The senator was a leading proponent of establishing U.S. military presence in Poland and other countries of our region in the wake of Russian aggression in Ukraine,” Duda said. “It goes without saying that his efforts in that regard contributed to the decisions that have tremendously enhanced the security of Poland and the whole region,” he added.

(aba)

Source: PAP, IAR