Source: TVN24 | TVN24 News July 11, 2022
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law “On establishing legal and social guarantees for citizens of the Republic of Poland in the territory of Ukraine,” – the Ukrainian president’s office informed on Monday.
“As a sign of gratitude to the Polish people for their solidarity and support of Ukraine in the face of a full-scale armed aggression by Russia and taking into account the principle of reciprocity, the draft law provides for the establishment of rights and guarantees for Polish citizens residing in Ukraine similar to those established in the Law of the Republic of Poland ‘On assistance to the citizens of Ukraine due to the armed conflict on the territory of this country’ adopted on March 12, 2022, “president Zelenskiy’s office said.
Volodymyr Zelensky also signed a decree on Monday conferring the honorary title of the Rescuer City upon the Polish city of Przemyśl.
“The award honors the unprecedented solidarity of the local authorities, residents, and volunteers of Przemyśl with the Ukrainian people, comprehensive large-scale assistance to citizens of Ukraine who were forced to leave their homeland as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, as well as significant support for Ukraine in defense of its independence and sovereignty, “president’s office said.
“Przemyśl became the second city, after Polish Rzeszów, to receive this honorary title.”
President Zelenskiy called upon Ukrainian deputies on social media to treat the submitted draft with utmost diligence.
“In relations with Poland, we have reached the highest level of trust and cooperation, not only when it comes to recent decades, but also many generations of our nations. And we must keep strengthening our relations across all spheres,” the Ukrainian president said.
Chief of Polish president’s International Policy Bureau Jakub Kumoch welcomed the news by saying that “granting Poles in Ukraine the same rights as Ukrainians have in Poland is a huge thing; it’s a gesture showing how close Ukraine and Poland have become.”
A spokesperson for the Polish government Piotr Müller said the draft legislation if passed, would make economic and social cooperation between the countries much easier in the future. “This is especially important in the context of Ukraine’s reconstruction plans as well as Poland’s role in that regard,” Müller added.