H.E. Mr Jerzy Wieclaw
Ambassador of the Republic of Poland

"Contemporary Poland: Political, Economic & Social Evolution"

Tuesday, September 30, 2003
12:30pm till 2pm
At: Dyason House,
124 Jolimont Road, East Melbourne.

We are pleased to welcome Mr Wieclaw, who is on his first official
visit to Victoria since taking up his position as Ambassador of the
Republic of Poland in January 2003. Mr Wieclaw is a graduate of the
Moscow Institute of International Relations and since 1973 has
pursued a career in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has
twice been posted to Helsinki and from 1991–96 was Consellor at the
Polish Embassy in Washington,DC. From 1999-2001 he was Head of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Centre at
Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and in
2001-02 he was Deputy Director, Department of Asia and Oceania at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Poland is increasingly regarded as an important regional power, with
influence in European and Euro-Atlantic affairs. It was also
recently one of the four countries to send troops to Iraq and has
also sent troops to Afghanistan. In 1996 Poland became a member of
the OECD, and is also part of the Central European Free Trade Area
(CEFTA) In 1998, Poland chaired the Organisation of Security and
Cooperation in Europe, actively seeking a solution to European
security problems, particularly in Kosovo In 2003 Poland is chairing
the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTRC).

On 8th June 2003 Poles voted 77% in favour of joining the European
Union in May 2004. It is by far the largest of the new entrants with
a population of 40 million so that only Britain, France, Germany and
Italy will have more votes on the Council of Ministers, the main
legislative body. It will dwarf all of the new members as well as
many of the old, whose economies are far more advanced. Polish
industry has been restructuring since the end of the communist era
and entry into the E.U. will hasten this process in the future.


RSVP Slip

If you plan to attend this function, kindly assist us with the
catering by informing the AIIA at least 2 days before the event by:
phone: (03) 9654 7271; fax: (03) 9654 6605;
Email:aiiavic@...
Contribution at the door: AIIA members $20; non-members $25; student
member $10; student non member $12 Snacks and drinks will be served.

I/we will attend the address by Mr Jerzy Wieclaw on Tuesday, 30th
September at 12:30pm
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Names: ……………………………….…………………………………………………………….AIIA Member/Non-member

Phone: …………………………………... Fax: …………………………… Email: …….….
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Payment is preferred at the door.