Barbara Tuge-Erecińska
Barbara Krystyna Tuge-Erecińska (Polish pronunciation: [tugɛ-ɛrɛ't͡ɕiɲska]; born 24 March 1956) was the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Sweden (1991–1997), to Denmark (2001–2005), to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2006–2012),[1][2] to Cyprus (2014–2018).
Barbara Tuge-Erecińska | |
|---|---|
| Republic of Poland Ambassador to Sweden | |
| In office 1991–1997 | |
| President | Lech Wałęsa |
| Preceded by | Sławomir Dąbrowa |
| Succeeded by | Ryszard Czarny |
| Republic of Poland Ambassador to Denmark | |
| In office 2001–2005 | |
| President | Aleksander Kwaśniewski |
| Preceded by | Jacek Górecki |
| Succeeded by | Jakub Wolski |
| Republic of Poland Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |
| In office 24 October 2006 – 2012 | |
| President | Lech Kaczyński |
| Preceded by | Zbigniew Matuszewski |
| Succeeded by | Witold Sobków |
| Republic of Poland Ambassador to Cyprus | |
| In office 2014–2018 | |
| President | Bronisław Komorowski |
| Preceded by | Paweł Dobrowolski |
| Succeeded by | Irena Lichnerowicz-Augustyn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 March 1956 Gdańsk, Poland |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Children | one son |
Life
After graduating in 1980 from the University of Gdańsk at the onset of the anti-communist Solidarity movement, Tuge-Erecińska joined the Union and set up the Solidarity International Department. "In a way, this was my first diplomatic post," she said. Her father and grandfather were members of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) during the German and Soviet occupations of Poland in World War II. They were arrested by the Soviets and sent to Siberia. Both survived the gulags thanks to the lifesaving determination of her father.
Tuge-Erecińska worked closely with Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa during the 1980s. When martial law was declared in Poland on 13 December 1981, she joined the protest in the shipyard. She was the one to smuggle out the official statement by the striking workers that the resistance would continue in spite of military coup d'état. She assisted families of political prisoners and set up a commission with the Polish Church to help them. Active in the underground during the martial law in Poland, she was harassed by the communist party. "It wasn't a big deal compared to what happened to some," she remembered. "The worst experience was when my son was one year old – to see those security men searching in my baby's cot." Nearly a decade later, in 1989 during the first partially free elections in the Eastern Bloc, Tuge-Erecińska was appointed Gdańsk’s liaison with the foreign dignitaries and journalists visiting Wałęsa, Poland's ‘real’ president. After Wałęsa’s election victory in 1990, she was appointed Ambassador to Sweden (1991–1997).[2] "At 35, not only was I the only female at our embassy, I was also the youngest member of staff," she told British Diplomat magazine.
In 1999, Tuge-Erecińska became Poland's first woman Deputy Foreign Minister—the position held until 2001, and again in 2005.[2] During her inaugural speech as Ambassador to the UK, Tuge-Erecińska said: "I feel privileged to be posted to this special place, which supported us during the darkest days..." Her work as the highest ranking diplomat revolves around the Polish participation in the EU with its complex political life and economy.[3] Between 2014 and 2018 she was ambassador to Cyprus.[4]
Her son studied in Denmark and now works in UK.
Awards
- Gold Cross of Merit – 1997[5]
- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – 2000[6]
- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – 2001
- Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog – 2005
- Grand Cross of the Order pro Merito Melitensi – 2011
- Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George – 2012[7]
References
- Lech Kaczyński. Chancellery of the President. Announcements. Warsaw, 24 February 2009
- Diplomat magazine, Her Excellency Barbara Tuge-Erecinska, Ambassador of Poland Archived 14 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine Elizabeth Stewart England
- Belfast City Council, "Polish ambassador visits Belfast to look at shared issues." Archived 26 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine 11 March 2008
- "Postanowienie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 marca 2018 r. nr 110.21.2018 w sprawie mianowania Ambasadora Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej". prawo.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish). 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- M.P. 1998 nr 5 poz. 72 – point 552.
- "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". www.quirinale.it (in Italian). 2000-03-14. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- "Odznaczenie dla Ambasador Barbary Tuge - Erecińskiej". londyn.msz.gov.pl (in Polish). 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- Alice Miles and Anthony Browne, The Times, Barbara Tuge-Erecinska is getting down to business 10 February 2007
- European Commission, "Cross-border cooperation under the framework of the Northern Dimension" by Barbara Krystyna Tuge-Erecińska, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland