Dr. Rzymkowski, who also serves as the Government Plenipotentiary for the Development and Internationalization of Education and Science and a Member of Parliament, was accompanied by the Deputy Director from the Ministry of Education and Science, Mr. Przemysław Skrodzki; Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Poland in Manila Mr. Jarosław Szczepankiewicz, and Embassy Intern Ms. Isabel Borwoska.

UST Office of Public Affairs Director Asst. Prof. Joreen T. Rocamora, Ph.D., the Executive Assistant of the Office of Secretary-General Mr. Emmanuel Batulan, Ph.D., and the Assistant to the Director for Public Affairs Ms. Michaella O. Lagniton, welcomed the visitors.

Part of the discussions during the courtesy call included possible points of further collaboration and new scholarship opportunities. The delegation also met the UST Prefect of Libraries Rev. Fr. Ángel A. Aparicio, O.P., Assistant Prefect of Libraries and Acting Archivist Rev. Fr. Gaspar Sigaya, O.P., Miguel de Benavides Library Chief Librarian Ms. Ma. Cecilia Lobo, and Head Book Restorer Ms. Ginalyn Santiago.

Fr. Aparicio also updated the delegation with regards to the ongoing collaboration between the University of Santo Tomas and the Embassy of Poland on the restoration of a rare first edition copy of Nicolaus Copernicus’ book on heliocentrism, which is a Polish cultural treasure housed within the UST Archives.

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In his lecture, Chołaszczyński, tackled the geopolitical gains of Russia, whose expansion was aimed toward Central Europe, starting in Georgia and then in Crimea. “Moscow takes action to maintain the monopoly of transit, which entails threats and attempts to pressure countries exporting raw materials and transmitting,” he said.

According to Chołaszczyński, Russia’s war against Georgia became the hotspot of its imperialist tendencies. As a result, the policies of European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were redefined due to Russia’s threatening actions. “Russia takes minimal advantage of its possessions to play the role of a power defending its interests and conquers Europe without any imposing world of vision,” he said.

The role played by Poland in this geopolitical Russian gain is between the position of defenders of the oppressed (Ukraine and Georgia) and the neighboring countries loyal to Russia. “Russia’s war with Georgia in 2008 show that Poland is not able to pursue a single active policy for the security of the Central European invasion.” he said. “It is essential that the Polish should understand the seriousness of the situation [which is the] invasion and its competitive potential, not [by] looking at the protective umbrella that offer a stronger political power.”

“Poland should have good arguments against Russia’s growing position in Europe,” he followed.

Moreover, Chołaszczyński noted that the threat of another Cold War was a reality for them in Poland.

This event was organized by the – Journalism Society and Political Science Forum.

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