Undersecretary of State Anna Radwan-Röhrenschef visits Thailand and Vietnam
31.05.2024
On 27–30 May, Deputy Minister Anna Radwan-Röhrenschef visited the Southeast Asia region. The visits to Thailand and Vietnam provided an opportunity to hold political talks with key partners of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and support Polish companies’ participation in business events.
In Bangkok, the official delegation, together with over 20 Polish companies representing the agri-food and green technologies sectors, took part in the 1st Thai-Polish Business Forum. Another important element of support for Polish business was Deputy Minister Anna Radwan-Röhrenschef’s participation in the Thaifex trade show—the biggest regional event of the agri-food sector in Southeast Asia. During the trade fair, the deputy minister officially launched the Polish national stand organised by the National Support Centre for Agriculture (Krajowy Ośrodek Wsparcia Rolnictwa, KOWR), where 16 Polish companies presented their offer, and held talks with Thai investors.
The talks with Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand Eksiri Pintaruchi focused on the invigoration of Polish-Thai political relations, the current state of and prospects for bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, new technologies, and education, as well as regional issues.
While in Thailand, the deputy head of the Polish MFA also met with representatives of non-governmental organisations operating in the country, including the Asia Foundation and the Border Consorcium which cooperates with the Polish Embassy in Bangkok in implementing Polish development assistance projects aimed at refugees from Myanmar. Moreover, the official paid a visit to Bangkok’s Janusz Korczak School which for many years has been a beneficiary of Poland’s development assistance. The school provides education to children and teenagers from refugee families from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
The main goal of Deputy Minister Anna Radwan-Röhrenschef’s visit to Hanoi was to attend Polish-Vietnamese political consultations with the participation of Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang. During the talks, the officials discussed issues related to bilateral political agenda, including planned high-level meetings, along with key aspects of cooperation in trade, investment, innovations, science and education, as well as people-to-people contacts, including the role the Vietnamese community in our country plays in creating the ties between Poland and Vietnam. The consultations also provided an opportunity to exchange views on regional issues, relations with ASEAN, and prospects for cooperation in multilateral fora. Prior to the consultations, a meeting was held with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son.
During the visit to Vietnam, the deputy head of the Polish MFA also met with representatives of the External Relations Commission of the Central Committee of Vietnam Communist Party, including the Commission’s first deputy head Nguyen Thi Hoang Van. Deputy Minister Anna Radwan-Röhrenschef also took part in a meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese community of graduates of Polish universities. It is estimated that the total number of Vietnamese nationals who graduated from Polish universities exceeds 4,000 people.
***
Vietnam is the biggest trading partner for Poland in the Southeast Asia region. In 2023, the Polish-Vietnamese trade amounted to over USD 5.5 billion. The year 2025 will mark the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Poland and Vietnam.