NATO Joint Force Training Centre is proud to have received the Stella Copernicana Cuiaviae et Pomeraniae, the highest Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship award. Brigadier General Petr Svoboda, JFTC Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, officially received the award from Mr Piotr Całbecki, the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Marshal, and Ms Elżbieta Piniewska, the Chairperson of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Parliament on 7 June, during a ceremonial session of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Parliament.
“Thank you very much for this recognition. For us it means a lot and it confirms that what we do is good, necessary and appreciated. (…) I can assure you that our already excellent cooperation will flourish even further to the benefit of all of us”, General Svoboda marked in his acceptance speech. He also added: “Next year, in 2024, JFTC is going to celebrate its 20th anniversary. We are the oldest NATO installation in this part of Europe, and tasks we receive from our superior command, and training that we offer is yet more proof of how important and necessary we are to the Alliance and partners.”
The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Marshal, the initiator of the award motion, also highlighted the Joint Force Training Centre’s importance for the region. “JFTC’s engagement in our region’s security, as well as activities of the whole Alliance JFTC is a part of, especially in the current circumstances related to the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are of significant importance to the support of our country’s defence as well as to ensuring conditions in which citizens of Kujawsko-Pomorskie can feel safe.” – Mr Całbecki said. He also noted: “It is particularly in a situation when we feel a threat from Russia, when we appreciate the significance of our membership in NATO even more, we are sending this clear message of public support for this institution”
During the ceremonial session of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Parliament, the voivodeship authorities also recognized other partners, to include Mr. Reiner Haseloff, the Minister President of the German Saxony-Anhalt land, who received Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis medal. The event was a great example of how cooperation between people, institutions and regions can enrich societies. It also sent a strong message of unity.
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The Stella Copernicana Cuiaviae et Pomeraniae Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship Award is awarded to natural persons, legal entities, institutions and other entities whose activities greatly contribute to the development of knowledge and culture, integration and activation of social circles, maintaining and popularising the heritage of the past, promoting innovation and shaping regional identity.
