President Duda picks Estonia for his first international trip

Contrary to expectations, President Andrzej Duda will not visit Berlin or Paris, but will go to Estonia in his first presidential trip, according to a senior source quoted by Reuters. "Because of its size and economic and military potential, Poland wants to take upon itself to build a unified front in the region, for example with regards to NATO armies' permanent presence and the visit marks the beginning of this process," the source said. The visit to Tallinn is to be seen as a gesture of support for the new members of the EU and NATO, as well as an expression of solidarity with countries that deal with the resurgent Russia. "The President wants to show that Poland stands arm in arm not only with our strongest partners, but also with those who may need our support," the source added. The Reuters information was confirmed by Krzysztof Szczerski, the Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the President. He also said that Duda's subsequent foreign trips include: Germany (August 28), the UK (September 15), Germany - the Arraiolos Meeting (September 21-21),  US - the UN General Assembly (September 25-28), Hungary - the Visegrad Group (October 8-9), Romania (November 3-4), China - the China-CEE summit (November).