Poland in Singapore

On 5 April 2022, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Singapore Magdalena Bogdziewicz awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland to the former Minister of Transport and Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, Mr Khaw Boon Wan.

The Order was awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland in recognition of Mr. Khaw’s outstanding contribution to the strengthening of economic ties between the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Singapore.

In the course of Mr Khaw Boon Wan’s term as Minister for Transport and Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure (2015-2020), economic relations between Singapore and Poland - in particular in the maritime and aviation area, progressed in an unprecedented way. The advancement was marked by the establishment of a direct flight connection between Poland and Singapore, launched by LOT Polish Airlines in 2018 as well as by the co-investment of PSA International in Poland’s largest DCT Gdańsk deep-water container terminal in 2019, one of the fastest-growing container ports in Europe.

The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland is awarded to distinguished foreigners and Polish nationals living abroad for their contributions to international cooperation or cooperation between Poland and other countries, in different fields. It has five classes. Commander’s Cross with Star is the second highest class of the Order of Merit.

“Cooperation in the area of transport and connectivity is of outmost importance for both our nations which are located at the crossroads of key global trade routes. PSA’s presence at the Baltic Sea represents the largest Singaporean investment in Poland and leverages the economic growth of the country. It creates an impetus for Poland and other Central and Eastern European economies to build stronger links with South East Asia and beyond. – said Ambassador Bogdziewicz. - Mr Khaw’s leadership and his personal dedication to strengthening both bilateral ties, as well as our cooperation on international fora, have been highly valued. It was critical during the early phase of the pandemic, enabling bringing back citizens stranded overseas and securing vessels crew changes. We are proud to call Mr Khaw a friend of Poland. – she added.

Irrespective of global trade disruptions,  bilateral trade in goods between Poland and Singapore recorded uninterrupted growth in recent years, exceeding 1 billion USD. In the midst of the pandemic, food was the fastest-growing export category: it doubled in 2020 and grew by another 50% in 2021. The delivery of services to Singapore has been expanding by 30% each year, since 2016.

Minister Iswaran said: “Mr Khaw Boon Wan is richly deserving of being awarded the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. Singapore’s robust bilateral ties with Poland are one of Mr Khaw’s many contributions to a life of public service. One significant initiative under Mr Khaw’s leadership was the establishment of a direct flight connection between Warsaw and Singapore, which helped boost bilateral cooperation and facilitate strong trade and investment links as well as people-to-people ties. More recently, this connection paved the way for LOT’s invaluable assistance in repatriating Singaporean and Polish nationals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Poland is an important trading and investment partner to Singapore. Over 100 Polish companies are based in Singapore to tap on opportunities in our region. Singapore companies also use Poland as a strategic gateway to Central and Eastern Europe. We look forward to building on the strong foundations to foster even closer collaboration between our two countries.”

“I thank the Poland Government for honouring me with the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit.  I shall wear it with pride, on behalf of all Singaporeans.  It reflects the strong tie between our two peoples which goes back many decades.”  – said Mr Khaw Boon Wan.

The Order of Merit award ceremony was held in the presence of the Minister of Transport and Singapore Minister of Trade Relations, S Iswaran, Chairman of the Polish-Singapore Parliamentary Friendship Group Lim Wee Kiak, and Loo Choon Yong, Singapore's Ambassador to Poland.

The event gathered the economic elite of Singapore: representatives of key ministries and economic agencies, management of major state-owned enterprises, economic circles, investors and companies involved in cooperation with Polish partners.

The ceremony was also attended by representatives of Polish communities in Singapore, headed by the President of the Polish Association, Ms Joanna Szwaja-Jacuta, and the diplomatic corps of the EU and the region of Central and Eastern Europe,

The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland is awarded to distinguished foreigners and Polish nationals living abroad for their contributions to international cooperation or cooperation between Poland and other countries, in different fields. It has five classes. Commander’s Cross with Star is the second highest class of the Order of Merit.