Donna Chmara was only 10 weeks old when German soldiers burned down her village in eastern Poland. Her family was deported to Germany like many other Polish families were, and after the end of World War II, they spent the next five years in refugee camps rather than return to a Soviet-controlled homeland.

Chopin provides a rare opportunity for Poland to promote itself abroad. Despite being one of the six big nations of Europe, alongside Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain, Poland's intellectual and artistic achievements are of a lower caliber....The Polish government has seized on the anniversary as a way to promote the country, drawing on the global popularity of Chopin in order to present a more modern image of Polish culture.

Within the framework of public diplomacy over 60 students from Slovakia, Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Lithuania visited the MFA on 26 July.

The emotional rapprochement between Poland and Russia after the death of President Lech Kaczyński and 95 members of the Polish elite is clearly still strong. On the other hand, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has said that an 'emotional breakthrough' does not necessarily mean a 'political breakthrough'...

A festival of Polish culture and history will begin on Sunday in the southern Russian town of Krasnodar, the town mayor's press service said on Tuesday. A range of events dedicated to promoting Polish culture and improving Russian-Polish relations will then be held across the town.

APDS Blogger: Krysta Close

Big human tragedies are moments of change but can also provide the spark of unity. Political differences, competing interpretations of history, and differences in values all - even for a short moment - disappear in the face of death.