President Andrzej Duda has encouraged Qatari investment in and trade with Poland during a visit to Doha. He noted that, while Poland is a major importer of liquified natural gas (LNG) from the Gulf state, he hopes that its “unique offer” of services and high-quality goods can start to flow in the other direction.
Speaking at the second annual Polish-Qatar Economic Round Table, Duda admitted that there is currently a “gigantic” trade imbalance between the two countries, with LNG deliveries to Poland making up around $530 million of their $630 million in trade.
The 2.1 million tonnes of LNG Poland imports from Qatar annually is very important, noted the president. Qatar has supplied almost three quarters of all the LNG Poland has imported in total so far.
Poland has in recent years sought to reduce its reliance on Russian energy supplies, including by increasing gas imports through its President Lech Kaczyński LNG terminal in Świnoujście, which opened in 2015.
🤝 Głównym tematem spotkania Prezydenta @AndrzejDuda i Szejka Tamima Bin Hamada Al Thaniego były perspektywy współpracy w dziedzinie energetyki, która jest kluczowa nie tylko dla Polski, ale dla całego regionu. pic.twitter.com/rJwnVMJ5aL
— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) December 5, 2021
But Duda said that there was great scope to expand trade and investment ties between two of the “most dynamically developing countries in the world”. In particular, he hoped that their trade imbalance could be “offset” by Qatar increasing imports from and investment in Poland.
“I want to assure you that Poland has a lot to offer…[and] has aspirations to also become an important supplier for Qatar of our high-quality services and products,” he told the forum.
The president also expressed hope for greater cooperation in science, technology and finance. In particular, he noted that “Poland can offer high-quality food products and innovative technological solutions for use in the Qatari food production industry”.
Poland’s experience of co-hosting the European Football Championships in 2012 could also be of benefit to Qatar as it prepares to host next year’s football World Cup, added Duda.
On the sidelines of the economic forum, three memorandums of understanding were signed: between the Qatar National Convention Center and Polish Trade and Exhibition Center, the Qatar-based Technical Services Group and Polish ZPUE Wloszcowa, and between Qatar-based Edraq and Poland-based AIDA Diagnostics, reports The Peninsula.
During his visit, Duda met with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani. The leaders discussed long-term cooperation in the energy sector.
The Polish president also visited a Qatari coastguard headquarters, where he met officers who had studied at the naval academy in Gdynia, Poland.
“It was touching, because you can see how much Poland contributes to building the security of the Persian Gulf states,” said the head of Duda’s international policy office, Jakub Kumoch.
The @nytimes looks at how Poland is seeking to end its reliance on Russian gas, which is being replaced by LNG from Qatar, Norway and, increasingly, the United States https://t.co/8oecss34Y1
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 26, 2019
Main image credit: Jakub Szymczuk/KPRP/Prezydent.pl
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
