Poland in Saudi Arabia

Political cooperation after 1989

Official visits - Polish-Saudi relations are characterized by active political dialogue. In March 2004, President Aleksander Kwasniewski paid a visit to Jeddah and Riyadh. In 2005, Prime Minister Marek Belka took part in the funeral ceremonies of King Fahd. In June 2007, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was on an official visit to Poland at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczyński. The King was awarded the Order of the White Eagle. In April 2012, Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Riyadh. In December 2013, the President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski and his wife paid a visit to Riyadh. Due to King Abdullah's poor health, the heir to the visit was the heir to the throne, the Minister of Defense, Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. During the visit, the Polish-Saudi Economic Forum was opened. In 2017, the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda forwarded an invitation to the King to visit Poland. MFA consultations - After the ministerial meeting of the GCC-EU in May 2007 in Riyadh, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anna Fotyga held bilateral consultations with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affair Nizar bin Obaid Madani, during which an agreement on political consultations and cooperation between the ministries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was signed. In December 2012, in Riyadh and Jeddah, there was an economic mission of women under the leadership of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Beata Stelmach. In April 2015, Undersecretary of State K. Kacperczyk held political consultations with the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Khalid I. Jindan. In May 2015, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Grzegorz Schetyna, participated in the opening ceremony of the new seat of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Warsaw. On May 11-13, 2016, the third meeting of the Polish-Saudi Commission for Bilateral Cooperation was held in Warsaw under the chairmanship of the Undersecretary of State in Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joanna Wronecka and Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of KAS Youssuf bin Tarrad Al-Saadon. Within the Commission, there were following working groups: health, national heritage, water, electricity, agriculture, technology and higher education, the environment and the port complex. A separate program was carried out by the Defense Ministry delegation and a group of Saudi businessmen. The meeting of the Commission ended with the signing of the final protocol.   

In March 2011, the president of the NPB, Marek Belka, paid a visit to the Kingdom of Saui Arabia. The Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi has been in Poland several times, including at the COP-19 climate summit in November 2013. In September 2015, Minister of Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley visited the Polagra Fair. In 2014, the Polish-Saudi Chamber of Commerce was registered. On December 14, 2016, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Energy Michał Kurtyka took part in the meeting of the Executive Council of the International Energy Forum, which took place in Riyadh. We are noticing a clear increase in economic relations with Saudi Arabia, which in 2016 became the largest trading partner of Poland among the GCC member states. Poland's trade exchange with Saudi Arabia in 2018 noted another record level of 2,088.72 million USD, including exports - 850.76 million USD, and import - 1,237,96 million USD. Trade turnover in 2017 amounted to 1,453.28 million USD, which is an increase of 43.72% on a year scale. The constant year increase in imports from Arabia (mainly crude oil) and the already negative structural balance on the Polish side in the amount of PLN 387.2 million is also noteworthy, with a negative balance of 147.56 million USD in 2017. In 2016, the balance was positive at amount of 136.688.412 USD. Trade turnover in January 2019 amounted to PLN 151.4 million USD (52.33 million USD exports, and imports is 99.07 million USD). We sell mainly products of plant and animal origin, ready-made food products (cereals, processed cheese, cocoa butter), cosmetics and baby products, gas turbines, cast iron and medicines. The main export Saudi products include: mineral products (petroleum - 83.6%), plastics (ethylene polymers, films, tapes - 13.8%), chemical industry products (acids, ethers, medicines), non-precious products of cast iron and steel. The tourist attractiveness of Poland is growing, especially in the sphere of healing tourism, SPA and luxury-recreational. In turn, KAS visit small groups of Polish citizens due to the restrictive visa policy. On the wave of Poland's promotion, in March 2013, the first in 10 years, a study visit of Saudi journalists in Warsaw took place. A joint venture of Elektrobudowa Konin has been operating in Riyadh since 2008. In April 2012, Grupa LOTOS SA purchased, as part of the test delivery, 60,000 tons of crude oil. In October 2015, PKN Orlen completed delivery of 100,000 tons of raw material purchased from Saudi Aramco. Cooperation with the Saudi company is in line with the strategic goals of diversifying supply directions and increasing energy security of the country. In April 2018, as part of the policy of diversifying the directions of supplies carried out by Orlen, the companies signed an annex to the agreement, which increased the volume of Saudi oil delivered by 50 percent, to 300,000 tons of raw material per month. The long-term contract between PKN Orlen and Saudi Aramco was in force until the end of 2018 with the option of prolonging for subsequent years. Cooperation is in line with the strategy of diversifying the directions of supply, under which already about 30 percent the oil processed in the Orlen group comes from alternative directions to Russian oil. For Saudi Aramco, cooperation with PKN Orlen is an opportunity to strengthen the presence in the Baltic Sea.     In 2014, Techglass launched a contract for the construction of bottled glass plants. On the Saudi market, companies such as Mokate, Mlekovita, Wawel, Agus, Nałęczowianka and Inglot are active. The Polish Embassy in Riyadh regularly organized Polish information stands at significant trade fairs (Saudi Food, Saudi Build, Medexpo). The Alstom plant from Chorzów started production of 69 metro cars for Riyadh Metro. The first delivery took place in January 2017 with the deadline for completion by the end of 2018. In the first quarter of 2016, the contract for the supply of 1,200 tank wagons produced by Greenbrier Wagony Świdnica SA for the Saudi Arabia Railway (SAR) was commenced; the total value of the contract - 400 million USD; delivery of wagons to be completed by the end of 2018. The most well-known Saudi investments in Poland are: Zamil Steel (production of steel constructions) and Saudi Amiantit (production of tanks and pipes), opening of the SABIC petrochemical business office, Verity Development Sp. z o.o. in Wrocław (branch of the international investment group Verity Group), plants of AMITECH Poland in Gdańsk (branch of the international group Amiantit Group) and Arabian Horse Center near Płońsk (owned by former Saudi deputy minister of defense Khaled bin Sultan). Saudi company United Farmers Holding Company bought the company Continental Farmers Group, managing 2700 ha of agricultural land in Poland.

In January 2014, the visit of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Bogdan Zdrojewski, took place in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi side was interested in Polish experience in the protection of monuments and historical objects, the recovery of cultural goods and the prevention of their illegal export. In 2014, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Polish Center for Mediterranean Archeology and the Committee on Tourism and Antiquities. In autumn 2014, the Polish team began archaeological work under the direction of prof. M. Gawlikowski. 

In November 2006, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland, Prof. M. Seweryński (as a member of the PAN accompanying delegation and six rectors of leading Polish universities), who - apart from the implementation of a comprehensive program of ministerial meetings and consultations - was offered a meeting with King Abdullah, Heir to the Throne Prince Sultan, Chairman of the Advisory Assembly and met with rectors of five Saudi universities and research institutes. During the visit, the texts of two memoranda on the agreement were initially agreed - between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and its Saudi equivalent, and between the Polish Academy of Sciences and the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology in Riyadh (KACST). In June 2007, during King Abdullah's visit to Poland, he was able to sign the above-mentioned Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the PAS and the King Abdulaziz Science and Technology City (KACST) and memorandum on cooperation in the field of science and education between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Higher Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In Poland, within the framework of Saudi government scholarships, about 1,000 students are educated in medical and technical faculties. In 2014, the first Saudi students completed studies at Polish universities. In July 2014, the Ministry of Education held a meeting of the Saudi Public Education Evaluation Commission with Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Education, E. Dudek. Polish education experts regularly conduct training for Saudi professionals from the Public Education Evaluation Commission. Rector of the Saudi university, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabia' (former Minister of Health), received the medal of the 50th anniversary of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the diploma of recognition of the Polish Medical Society. Dr Al-Rabia 'in 2005 directed the surgery operation of separation of Polish siamese sisters Olga and Daria Kołacz in Riyadh, financed by the Saudi monarch. At the request of the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabia ', by order of the President of the Republic of Poland of August 16, 2005, he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for outstanding contribution to the development of Polish-Saudi cooperation. In November 2015, with the consent of the King of Saudi Arabia and the Minister of National Guard in Riyadh a Polish child, Jakub Brzyski (12 months), was successfully operated at the cost of the Kingdom, suffering from a rare genetic disease - tortuosity syndrome (ATS). On November 13-17, 2018, in the context of the humanitarian Yemen crisis, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabia', today performing the function of the Inspector General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and relief Center stayed in Poland. The aim of a series of meetings with Polish side was to present the Center's areas of activity, including Yemen, Syria and other areas covered by war and humanitarian crises. The Saudi side presented the possibilities of cooperation in the field of humanitarian aid, especially in the Middle East. Visit of dr. Al-Rabia' was the recognition of Saudi Arabia for Poland's involvement in the MENA region, its role in the UN Security Council and appreciated activity in the field of humanitarian aid.