30th Anniversary of Sylff at the Jagiellonian University
Your Excellency Mr. Akio Miyajima, Ambassador of Japan to Poland, Professor Armen Edigarian, Vice-Rector Jagiellonian University, Professor Pawel Laidler Chair of the Sylff Steering Committee and his predecessor Professor Andrzej Mania, Sylff fellows, distinguished guests, and participants. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of the Sylff program here at the Jagiellonian University. I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your dedication and unwavering efforts of all here present without whom we would not have been able to nurture close to three hundred outstanding fellows. At the same time, my gratitude goes to the members of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research which is responsible for the practical operation of the program, and today represented by Ms. Mari Suzuki, the Executive Director, from Japan. Ms. Suzuki, may I ask you to please stand.
As you are well aware, Poland and Japan have maintained a strong relationship for over a century. Over these past hundred years, we have collaborated and grown in various fields, including culture, economics, education, and humanitarian activities. One prominent example is the world-renowned Polish film director, Andrzej Wajda, who had a deep connection with Japan and served as a bridge between our two nations in the realms of culture and art. He passionately contributed to the “Manggha” Museum of Japanese Art and Technology.
I’m also mindful of the invaluable history of 100 years ago when Japan extended a helping hand to rescue Polish orphans suffering from famine and disease in Siberia. I would like to appreciate the fact that Poland has cherished this history and I understand that a ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary was recently held in the presence of the First Lady of Poland, Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda, and former Japanese First Lady Mrs. Akie Abe. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your nation’s friendship.
For the further development of the extremely important bilateral relationship between the two countries, it is our pride and joy that we have been able to build a wonderful friendship with Jagiellonian University, which is one of the oldest universities in the world and a prestigious university representing Poland. I sincerely hope that Sylff at Jagiellonian University will continue to play a pivotal role in nurturing and expanding the friendship between our two nations.
Furthermore, my fellow participants, I hope that Jagiellonian University, through will not only contribute to strengthening our bilateral relation but also creating a global network through Sylff. As you know, this program gathers sixty-nine universities and higher education institutions from forty-four countries worldwide, and to date, there are more than seventeen thousand graduate fellows. We not only provide scholarships during the fellowship period, but our wish is to maintain a lifelong family-like relationship cherishing the ties that bind us.
I have been told that Jagiellonian University is already actively engaged in collaboration with Sylff institutions in Eastern Europe. But again, of all the Sylff institutions there have been some fellows who have been forced to interrupt their university studies due to coronavirus pandemic. During these challenging times, not only the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research but also Sylff alumni from around the world came together to raise money and support fellows in need. This is the wonderful bond that unites the Sylff family. We are also working on a new Sylff network utilizing social network to deepen our solidarity even further. An announcement will be made later by the Secretariat. We hope you will take advantage of it.
In these uncertain times, we believe that it is even more important that our bonds be further expanded and deepened under the principle of “One World One Family”. Jagiellonian University is a symbolic presence in the Sylff program, and our hope is that you will be fully engaged in your further activities as the core of the Sylff network, and that our mutual cooperation will ever be more strengthened. Once again, congratulations on your thirtieth anniversary.