Poland in India

Historical view

On 24 November 1959 Poland and Nepal established formal diplomatic relations at the level of embassies. From 1967 the Office of the Delegate of the Ministry of the Foreign Trade was operating in Kathmandu. 

On 9 May, 1974 the Embassy of the People’s Republic of Poland was opened in Kathmandu at the level of charge d’affaires. In September 1981 operations at the embassy were suspended. The Ambassador of Poland in India, based in New Delhi, is accredited to Nepal.

Between 1962-1992, Ambassadors of Nepal to the USRR, based in Moscow, were accredited to Poland. From 1993, it has been the embassy of Nepal to Germany, first based in Bonn and then in Berlin, which is also accredited to Poland. 

On 23 September 1991, the Consulate General of the Reublic of Poland, headed by the Honorary Consul General, was established in Kathmandu.

Political cooperation after 1989

In December 2018, the President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari attended the COP 24 climate conference in Katowice. On the sidelines of the conference, a bilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda took place. In September 2015, an undersecretary of state in the Ministry of the Treasury, Zbigniew Gawlik paid a visit to Nepal. The Nepalese side was represented at the defense fair MSPO in Kielce in 2017 (Minister of Defense of Nepal Bhimsen Das Pradhan) and in 2018 (deputy prime minister and defense minister of Nepal Ishwar Pokhrel). In November 2018, the Polish-Nepali consultations at the level of the heads of the territorial departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were held in Kathmandu. There are no bilateral agreements between the two countries.

1) Economic bilateral agreements: There are currently no bilateral economic agreements between Poland and Nepal.

2) Foreign trade: In 2016, Poland's trade with Nepal amounted to nearly USD 1.6 million, indicating a growth of 76% from the preceding year. Exports from Poland amounted to USD 1.22 million (an increase of 97% year on year), and imports almost USD 0.38 million. As a result, Poland achieved a positive trade balance of USD 0.84 million. The above data indicates the return of bilateral trade to levels from before the tragic earthquakes that struck Nepal in 2015. Among the group of export goods, the largest value were metal signs and boards (USD 0.33 million), furniture worth USD 0.11 million and flour meal (USD 83,000). Poland mainly imported paper and cardboard with the value of USD 143,000, shawls and scarves worth USD 31,000 and carpets and floor coverings worth USD 22,000. In the first half of 2017, exports from Poland to Nepal increased almost six-fold, which was mainly related to the increase in sales of mechanical equipment (USD 1.5 million). Imports, especially of clothing, have also increased.

3) Investments: According to data from the National Bank of Poland, there are presently no companies registered in Nepal which have invested in Poland. Similarly, there are no instances of Polish companies having made investments in Nepal. An INGLOT cosmetics sales centre operates in Kathmandu.

4) Regional cooperation: In December 2003, the Nepal-Poland Friendship Council was established. This is the second organization of its type in Nepal: since November 2002, the Nepali-Polish Society has been operating there. Both organizations are a combination of a friendship company and a chamber promoting trade relations between the two countries.

5) Cooperation of economic self-governments On March 17, 2015 during the first Nepalese business mission to Poland, the Nepalese Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the National Chamber of Commerce signed a cooperation agreement. The agreement was concluded in the presence of the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Economy, Jerzy W. Pietrewicz.

Links

Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Agricultural Development
Ministry of Energy
Ministry of Industry
Nepal Chamber of Commerce
Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Himalayan Times

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New Delhi supports cooperation in the field of culture by organizing events, supporting joint projects and organizing study visits. The traditions of Polish-Nepali cooperation are primarily based on the rich experience of Polish high-mountain expeditions. Polish himalaists have stood out not only with many outstanding successes, but also by working for cultural cooperation. The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New Delhi actively supports these activities.