Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski is in D.C. to take part in the Bilderberg Meeting, along with his wife, journalist Anne Applebaum. Both are known for their vocal anti-Trump and anti-Orbán stances.
The 72nd Bilderberg Meeting, which started back in 1954 to discuss the “communist threat” posed by the Soviet Union, begins today in Washington, D.C. Known for being a gathering of prime ministers, ministers, bankers, businessmen, and leaders from public administration, technology, labor, civil society, and academia. This year will also see Dario Amodei, co-founder of Anthropic, in attendance, writes wPolityce.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór confirmed to PAP that the Polish foreign minister will participate in this year’s meeting in Washington. Sikorski will be a speaker on one of the thematic panels and will moderate a discussion with the participation of a “high representative of the United States government.”
A fervent supporter of Ukraine, Sikorski has continuously attacked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for wanting to stay out of the war and vetoing various Russian sanctions packages as well as aid for Ukraine. His wife, Anne Applebaum, has also been an adamant supporter of defeating Putin, not to mention ousting fellow “authoritarian” Orbán from power.
According to the Bilderberg website, participants discuss but do not make any binding decisions or vote, and the group “does not endorse any political party or viewpoint.” However, in the more than seven decades since Bilderberg’s first meeting, much controversy has surrounded it, including some conspiracy theories.
However, it is clear that many of the participants are there to push their agenda. With the war in Ukraine raging and elections in Hungary this weekend, it is worth noting Poland’s recent alleged involvement in an opposition journalist’s illegal wiretapping of Sikorski’s counterpart, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. Brussels and the Tusk-led Polish government have accused Szijjártó of treason for allegedly sharing confidential documents with Moscow.
The aim of the entire wiretapping op was to discredit the Fidesz government. After all, removing Orbán is the best way for Brussels to help Ukraine, and, as Sikorski posted, “Fighting Ukraine is defending us against Putin’s mad imperialism.”
So, the question is, what will be said or pushed regarding this topic at the ever-secretive and yet supposedly highly influential Bilderberg gathering? The group’s aura of secrecy is further deepened by its information policy. As a result, notes wPolityce, even the New York Times wrote in 2019 that Bilderberg is a “secret version” of Davos, the annual global economic conference in Switzerland.
Another issue that raises some controversy is the fact that the group’s meetings are closed to journalists, even though guests include CEOs of major media companies such as Warner Bros. Discovery and Axel Springer SE. Bilderberg explains that this is to ensure “the highest level of openness and dialogue” and to encourage honest conversations between politicians and experts.
Participants are bound by the so-called Chatham House Rule of Silence, developed in 1927. While guests may tell the public what was discussed at the meeting, they are not allowed to reveal who specifically commented on a given topic and how.
Other Poles attending this year include Wojciech Kostrzewa, president of the Polish Business Council, vice-president of the WB Group, Adam Bartosiewicz, and president of Mediacap SA, Jacek Olechowski.
