[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 13 (Monday, January 23, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S1365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     POLAND'S OUTREACH TO THE EAST

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with 
Mr. Michal Strak, the chief of the Office of the Polish Council of 
Ministers. Mr. Strak brought to my attention Poland's activities with 
regard to Poles living in the former Soviet Union, and I would like to 
share some of that information with my colleagues today.
  With the end of the cold war, Poland has been able to reestablish 
links with ethnic Poles throughout the former Soviet Union. The Polish 
community in the New Independent States is comprised of descendants of 
Poles who were exiled there during the 1930's. Poles suffered great 
losses during World War II, due in part to the mass deportation of 
Polish citizens. Many were pressed into forced labor and others died of 
hunger and disease. Those who survived became victims of the Soviet 
system, isolated from their homeland. Until recently, their descendants 
have had few opportunities to learn the Polish language or culture.
  Poland, which itself is undergoing major reform, maintains an active 
outreach program to the Polish community in the former Soviet Union--
particularly Kazakhstan where more than 100,000 people of Polish origin 
reside. Many of these activities focus on language training, with 
Polish nongovernmental organizations providing Polish language teachers 
and textbooks, and the Polish Government offering scholarships for 
ethnic Poles to study in Poland. The Polish Government is also seeking 
to encourage and support business links between the Polish community in 
countries such as Kazakhstan and Poland.
  These activities play an important role in helping the people of the 
New Independent States establish ties with the West. The Government of 
Poland is to be commended for its efforts to assist the Polish 
communities in their democratization and economic reform efforts.


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