Polish President Andrzej Duda met with his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkēvičs in Warsaw yesterday to discuss common issues such as rising tensions on the Belarusian border.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the two presidents reportedly discussed security issues, energy policy, and cooperation on the Three Seas Initiative connecting European countries between the Black, Baltic, and Adriatic Seas.
Other topics included support for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, the outcome of NATO’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, last month, and bilateral military cooperation, according to officials.
At a joint news conference after the meeting, Duda said the talks focused mainly on security issues revolving around Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and “the hybrid threat posed by Belarus’ attacks on the Polish and Latvian borders.”
The Polish president noted that the frontier with Belarus “isn’t just a Polish border, but the border of the European Union,” telling reporters that Poland was “defending not only our border, our country, but also the European community, for which we are responsible.”
Rinkēvičs said it was “symbolic” that he was visiting Poland on one of his first foreign trips since being sworn in last month and vowed to seek to “expand friendly Polish-Latvian relations” during his presidency.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio
Polish officials, including Minister of Defense Mariusz Błaszczak, were in Gdynia yesterday to attend the ceremonial cutting of metal sheets for the first of three Swordfish (Miecznik) frigates being built in Poland for the Polish Navy.
Błaszczak told media at the event that “the launch of the construction of the Swordfish frigates marks another stage in our drive to strengthen the Polish Navy,” telling reporters that the three frigates “represent a qualitative leap” for the Polish Navy and will be “heavily armed with offensive as well as air-defense weapons.”
A powerful navy, Błaszczak stressed, was “indispensable for ensuring security” for Poland and “plays an important role in ensuring the security of the entire NATO alliance.”
According to officials, the Swordfish vessels will be equipped with “first-class radio navigation,” artillery, and missile systems and will be tasked with protecting maritime routes and energy infrastructure, as well as taking part in NATO missions.
The first of the three Swordfish frigates is slated for delivery in the third quarter of 2028, with the last one due to reach the Polish navy in the second quarter of 2031.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio
Polish football champions Raków Częstochowa have advanced to the fourth and final round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers after eliminating Aris Limassol in Cyprus.
Raków on Tuesday defeated the Cypriot team 1-0 in the second leg of their Champions League round three qualifiers. Croatian right-back Fran Tudor scored the only goal of the match from a free kick in the 49th minute in Limassol, a city on the southern coast of Cyprus.
The Polish champions will face FC Copenhagen of Denmark in the fourth round of the Champions League qualifiers next Tuesday, August 22, at 21:00 CEST.
Source: Polskie Radio, uefa.com
Polish tennis star Hubert Hurkacz has made it through to the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament in the US state of Ohio.
After defeating Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 on Tuesday, Hurkacz came back to dominate Croatia’s Borna Ćorić 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 last night in Cincinnati.
The 26-year-old tennis star, currently ranked world No. 20 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), will face 4th-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece tonight.
Fellow Polish tennis star Iga Swiątek also returned to form last night at the Cincinnati Open, dominating American Danielle Collins 6-1, 6-0. Świątek will face Qinwen Zheng of China tonight for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Cincinnati Open, or Cincinnati Masters, is considered by many top tennis players to be the final warm-up before the US Open Grand Slam event, which begins on August 28.
Source: Polskie Radio, wtatennis.com, atptour.com
A 48-year-old man with three outstanding arrest warrants recently turned himself in to Sopot police after spending nearly a decade hiding abroad.
The man, who had been living and working in Germany for the past ten years, reportedly told police he was “sick of hiding” and “wanted to live a normal life.” According to court verdicts, he will spend the next three years, three months, and 25 days behind bars for theft.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will start out cloudy and wet, with a chance for rain returning later in the day and a gentle breeze coming from the northeast. Temperatures will be noticeably cooler than yesterday, with a daytime high of 21°C or 69°F, dropping to a low of 17°C or 62°F overnight. Warmer temps are set to return tomorrow, accompanied by a chance for rain and hot weather over the weekend.
Elizabeth Peck
