On 3 October this year the Institute of National Remembrance hosted director Johan Verbeke - a diplomat, former Belgian ambassador to the United Kingdom and the United States, and currently the Director General of the Egmont Institute, an independent think-tank based in Brussels. The Deputy President of the IPN, Dr Mateusz Szpytma, the Director of the Office of the President, Dr Natalia Cichocka, the Deputy Director of the National Education Office, Dr Waldemar Brenda and Joanna Kumor from the Division of International Relations, participated in the meeting on behalf of the Institute.
The theme of the talks was the approaching anniversary of the creation of independent Belgium (1839) and the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War.
It was emphasized that although Poland suffered a defeat in the September campaign, Poles fought until the end of the war on all world fronts, also in Belgium, under the command of General Maczek.
The Institute of National Remembrance together with the Representation of the Flemish Government have created an exhibition on this topic entitled "Armoured Wings". The exhibition will soon be shown at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, and from January 2019 it will travel around various centers in Flanders.
The guest was interested in the activities of the Institute of National Remembrance, especially in the context of initiatives related to General Maczek’s first Armored Division as well as publications popularizing this part of the history of the Second World War.
The visit took place as part of a study visit in Poland organized for the Belgian diplomat by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.