Poland in Malaysia

Historical view 

Polish trade commercial office was opened in Kuala Lumpur in the second half of 1972 and later in 1973 raised to the rank of an embassy. From December 1971 to November 1978, the ambassadors of the Polish People’s Republic (PPR) in Indonesia based in Jakarta, were accredited to Malaysia. Adam Świtkowski was the first ambassador of the PPR residing in Kuala Lumpur. Initially, the ambassadors of Malaysia in the USSR based in Moscow, were accredited to Poland. The Embassy of Malaysia in Warsaw has been open on November 4, 1977.

During the PPR times, there were several significant visits of the representatives of both countries. In September 1972, Malaysia's Prime Minister - Tun Haji Abdul Razak bin Dato 'Hussein had paid a visit to Poland. The most important visit of a representative of the Polish People's Republic to Malaysia was the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister - Zbigniew Szałajda in 1986.

Political cooperation after 1989

There are no contentious points in Polish-Malaysian political relations. The relations have been developing properly and various visits from representatives of both countries are the evidence of it. Prime Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz paid a visit to Malaysia in 1996, while President Aleksander Kwasniewski paid an official visit in 1999. In 2005, Prime Minister Marek Belka paid an official visit to Malaysia. And in 2002, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohammad paid a visit to Poland. As part of bilateral political contacts, talks at the level of deputy ministers took place in 2011-2013 and 2015. In July 2013, Malaysia Foreign Minister Anifah Aman paid a visit to Poland. In 1989, contacts were also established between the parliaments of both countries. In recent years, good contacts have been established between the defense ministries and the armed forces, and in Malaysia the Polish Defense Attaché has been accredited. Concluded in 2003, Bumar's contract for the supply of 48 Polish PT-91M tanks was finalized in 2010. The contract for tanks and associated equipment amounted to approximately USD 368 million. Another project implemented in Malaysia is the contract of the Polish company WB Electronics for 257 set of Fonet internal communication for the Malaysian wheeled vehicle AV 8 GEMPITA. 

According to GUS (Polish Statistical Office) data, in 2018 the turnover of Polish trade with Malaysia amounted to USD 1.175 billion, of which exports reached the value of over USD 185 million (0.07% shares in Polish exports) and imports over USD 990 million (0.37% shares in Polish imports). The negative balance in trade of goods with Malaysia amounted to over USD 805 million. The Polish export to Malaysia is dominated by products from the electromechanical industry (including turbines and computer components). From Malaysia, Poland mainly imports rubber articles (gloves) and electrical equipment (including integrated circuits, telephone equipment and vacuum cleaners). The most important Polish export products to Malaysia are telephony apparatus and sound carriers, parts for steam turbines, memory devices and copper. In the food industry, Polish producers mainly export poultry and whey to Malaysia. 

Cultural cooperation is developing dynamically. Polish music bands regularly visit Malaysia, as well as Polish films, exhibitions and promotional events. The Polish Festival of Culinary Traditions has been taking place since 2018. The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Kuala Lumpur works closely with Chopin Society Malaysia in the promoting Polish classical music. In Malaysia, the ASEAN International Chopin Piano Competition takes place every two years.  

Polish-Malaysian cooperation in higher education is intensively developing. In 2019, about 170 Malaysian students studied at Polish universities, mainly at medical universities (Collegium Medicum UJ, WUM, UM in Łódź). In addition, direct contacts have been established between universities from Poland and Malaysia. In March 2019, the first assembly of Malaysian Polish University Graduates was organized in Kuala Lumpur. In the same month, 14 Polish universities and educational institutions took part in the international education fair APAIE 2019 in Kuala Lumpur. 

Poland and Cyprus, as EU Member States, automatically recognize certificates entitling to apply for admission to higher education in both countries, with the proviso that some of the certificates entitle to take only certain types of studies.

The issue of mutual recognition of diplomas and academic degrees is regulated on a similar basis. The documents must be, however, issued by accredited universities operating in the higher education system of a given country.
 

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Kuala Lumpur 

The Foreign Trade Office of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) in Kuala Lumpur
UBN Tower, 7th Floor 10, Jalan P. Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia