Photo: PAP/A
Historian Artur Konopacki, a figure of the Tatar and Muslim communities, was appointed commissioner of the Podlaskie voivode for national and ethnic minorities. He replaced Marek Masalski, who will soon become the vice-president of Bialystok.
Podlasie is a region where, among other things, the country has the largest concentration of Belarusian and Lithuanian minorities and Polish Tatars who profess Islam.
The duties of the representative include, among other things: coordination in the voivodeship of the activities of public administration bodies performing tasks for minorities, including cooperation with the educational department in Bialystok and urban social care centers, as well as support for minority organizations and associations in their activities aimed at preserving and developing the minority language.
Artur Konopacki is from Sokolka. He is a candidate of historical sciences, lecturer at Bialystok University, author of publications on Tatar topics. He is the President of the Podlaskie branch of the Union of Tatars of the Republic of Poland, a member of the Joint Commission of the Government and National and Ethnic Minorities and the Joint Council of Catholics and Muslims.