INTERVIEW/Polish Senate deputy speaker calls on democratic partners to back Taiwan

Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) The visiting deputy speaker of the Polish Senate Michał Kamiński has called on democratic partners to stand with Taiwan amid, what he called, a rising threat of totalitarianism.

Speaking to CNA during an interview on Monday, Kamiński, who is leading a cross-party Polish parliamentarian delegation to Taiwan, said Poland and Taiwan are in the same world and face similar dangers.

He noted that both sides worked closely during the COVID-19 pandemic and are continuing to do so amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The deputy speaker continued to say that the world's "dictators are keeping together."

Kamiński noted that as his interview was taking place, Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad had fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russia.

"It shows us that the bad people are working together, so the good people absolutely have the right to do the same... That's why Poland and all other democratic countries, including our neighbors, have to try to have as good relations with Taiwan as possible."

He said Poland will prioritize security during its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.

"The whole efforts of Poland are focused right now on achieving a peaceful and prosperous Europe, peace in Ukraine."

"Ending the war means stopping dictators," which would also mean a safer world for Taiwan, he added.

On Tuesday, Kamiński met with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in Taipei, expressing hope that bilateral ties, anchored by shared values and ongoing exchanges in trade and culture, would further improve in the future, according to a press release from the Presidential Office.

The release also cited Lai as emphasizing Taiwan's desire to work with Poland in safeguarding democracy and to achieve new milestones in their collaborations in various fields.

Kamiński is in Taiwan from Monday through Dec. 14 to meet with senior politicians, officials and representatives of local think tanks to discuss issues including security, whole-of-society defense resilience and cognitive warfare, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

MOFA noted that the delegation also includes several members of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, the chair of the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Group Krzysztof Truskolaski, the deputy chair of the group Beata Małecka-Libera, and four other members of the Sejm: Andrzej Gawron, Konrad Frysztak, Krzysztof Lipiec and Łukasz Osmalak.