Foreign Secretary David Miliband was paying a working visit to Warsaw on 23 June.

This is the Foreign Secretary' s first visit to Poland and is particularly significant not only for the opportunity it provides to engage with Poland as a key partner on many of the UK's foreign policy priorities, but also because of the Minister's strong personal links to Poland as the birthplace of his mother and grandparents.

On the morning the Foreign Secretary had an opportunity to connect with his roots, visiting the graves of his ancestors in Warsaw's Jewish Cemetery. He also visited the site of the Museum of the History of the Polish Jews, where he discussed the Museum's significance in Poland's past, present and future with Museum Director Jerzy Halbersztadt and others including NYU Professor Barbara Kirschenblatt-Gimblett. The Minister congratulated the Director on progress on the Museum, the ground-breaking ceremony which will take place next week, and expressed the UK's strong support for the project.

Earlier in the day, over breakfast with UKIE Head Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, the Foreign Secretary discussed current EU questions, including financial regulation and climate financing. He also met a broad range of Polish experts to discuss issues including Climate Change and Energy, Eastern Policy and Afghanistan.

In the afternoon, the Foreign Secretary set out his vision for the EU in a major speech at the Ujazdowski castle, co-hosted by the British Embassy and demosEuropa on 'European renewal amidst global adversity'. He argued that Europe's 'creation and evolution represent one of the most visionary acts of statesmanship of the 20th century'.

He added that 'two great projects of Europe's past - the single market and enlargement - need to be protected and extended. But Europe's raison d'etre must adapt to new insecurities. It will never succeed based on gratitude for the past, but promise for the future. Europe needs change as well as continuity.'

Read the full speech

In the evening the Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Sikorski for bilateral discussions, followed by a press conference and dinner.

More photos from the visit

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