Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a worldwide promotional campaign as part of the preparations for the country's entry into NATO. Perhaps the most evident example of this will be the logo “Poland in NATO," designed by Prof. Leszek Hołdanowicz. The emblem, which won a competition organized by the ministry together with the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts (ASP) and awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense, will most likely be seen almost everywhere during the accession celebrations and following.
Equally impressive and comparable as to the public it may reach, is the 30-minute film The Polish Road to NATO, produced by Telewizja Polska SA (TVP) as well as three clips devoted to the subject, also prepared by TVP. A special 24-page supplement has been prepared by The Warsaw Voice English-language weekly for the celebrations.
Polish-language broadcasts will be delivered by the From the Viliya River (Znad Wilii) Radio station, based in Vilnius, Lithuania. In fact, the eastern flank of NATO is the target of a massive promotional and educational campaign. It includes a series of seminars and panel discussions at many diplomatic outposts in Europe. One of the most outstanding examples was a conference on the subject held in Moscow, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Center for International Relations (CSM). Similar events are designed to be staged in other neighboring countries.
The seminars and conferences straddle the West and the East: There were three discussions in Vienna, one in Ottawa, Canada, as well as a conference in Prague held together with the Czech foreign ministry. Other Central and Eastern European events took place in Sofia, Riga and Bratislava.
Apart from spreading the news around Europe and America, Poland also invited journalists to study the country's preparations for accession on the spot. Russian, Ukrainian, Estonian, Austrian, British, Croatian, and 12 journalists accredited by NATO headquarters visited Poland.

Tomasz Oljasz

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