On his return from a five-day tour of Ukraine, the Grand Hospitaller of the Order of Malta, H.E. Josef Blotz, made a stop in Rzeszów, where he met with Minister Paweł Kowal, Chairman of the Council of Cooperation with Ukraine; Mrs Katarzyna Drążek-Laskowska, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Health; and local officials, including the Wojewoda of Podkarpackie, Mrs Teresa Kubas-Hul, the Mayor of Rzeszów, Mr Konrad Fijołek, and Deputy Mayor Mrs Krystyna Stachowska.

The Grand Hospitaller was accompanied by Ivo Graziani, Chief of Cabinet; Ambassador Niels Lorijn; Marcin Świerad, Hospitaller of the Polish Association of the Order of Malta; Andry Khanas, Counsellor at the Embassy of the Order of Malta in Ukraine; as well as Mrs Ilona Świerad and Rafał Szepietowski, Member of the Management Board and Director for International Cooperation, respectively, of Maltańska Służba Medyczna (the Order’s Polish Relief Organisation).

The visit was part of ongoing discussions to strengthen the cooperation between the Order of Malta and the Government of Poland on humanitarian and development aid to Ukraine, building on the framework agreement signed last May and the recent follow-up meeting held during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome in July.

The programme in Rzeszów began with a morning visit to the Medical Evacuation Hub at Jasionka Airport, where the delegation was welcomed by Director Drążek-Laskowska, Mr Marek Korowajczyk, Counsellor at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, and the MEDEVAC medical team. This was followed by a meeting at Rzeszów City Hall and a working lunch.