On the occasion of today’s holiday celebrating the Polish diaspora and Poles abroad, I thank you for your dedication to the homeland, for cultivating Polish heritage, language and culture, and for promoting a positive image of Poland all over the world. On my own behalf and that of Polish diplomacy I also wish you success in your personal, professional and public life. I hope that you will not only keep in touch with our country, but that you will also return to it, as our doors are always open to you. I also have a deep hope for further successful cooperation aimed at strengthening the good name of Poland and the even better promotion of the achievements made by Poles beyond our borders.

Witold Waszczykowski
 Minister of Foreign Affairs

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, between 18-20 million Poles live outside the country – about 12.5 million in North and South America, 4.3 million in Western Europe and 1.5 million in Eastern Europe. The largest Polish diaspora is located in the United States, where in 2012 over 9.6 million people declared their Polish origin.

In a speech delivered in Poland’s Sejm in February 2017, Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski stressed that “the Polish diaspora and Poles living abroad occupy a unique place in the foreign policy of the Republic of Poland. They are members of our Polish family, a part of Poland in the farthest corners of the world.”