Poles warmly and cordially welcomed President General Pervez Musharraf during his official visits to the Republic of Poland, from April 22 to 23. This was the first ever visit by a head of state from Pakistan to our country.
The President's engagements in Warsaw included discussions with the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
President Pervez Musharraf addressed Polish business leaders and highlighted the excellent opportunities for trade and investment in Pakistan. The Pakistani President also interacted with members of the civil society consisting largely of intellectuals and think tanks.
President Musharraf was assisted in talks by Federal Ministers Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, Lieutenant General (Retd) Javed Asharf Qazi, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Humayun Akhtar and Minister of State Tariq Azeem, Provincial Minister Sindh Saeeda Malik and senators Ammar Ahmad Khan and Razina Alam Khan.
The following mutually beneficial agreements were signed in the presence of the President of Poland and the President of Pakistan.
Protocol of agreement on co-operation between the Polish Institute of International Affairs and the Foreign Service Academy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan;
Memorandum on co-operation between Small And Medium Enterprise Development Authority of Pakistan and the Polish Enterprise Development Agency;
Co-operation Programme in the field of science, education and culture between the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the years 2007-2009;
Declaration of Co-operation signed by the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Poland Mr Aleksander Szczyglo and the Minister of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Mr Rao Sikandar Iqbal.
There was also signed Memorandum on co-operation between the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Polish counterpart.
Pakistan and Poland enjoy cordial and co-operative relations and We are sure that this visit will stimulate co-operation between our countries in all areas.
President Pervez Musharraf and Polish President Lech Kaczynski expressed their complete satisfaction over their broad-based interaction and said they looked forward to enhancing ties between the two countries in various fields of common interest. The two leaders termed their wide-ranging talks as a very fruitful interaction marked by consonance of views on regional and international issues.
President Musharraf also had a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. There was complete unanimity of views on various issues The two sides underlined the need for exploring new avenues of bilateral co-operation in socio-economic sectors for the benefit of their peoples. There will be regular exchange of delegations at the official and private levels to enhance bilateral trade and economic interaction, the sources said.
The Polish Prime Minister assured that Poland as a member of the European Union would ensure that there was no discrimination against Pakistan. He said his government would encourage private investors to invest in Pakistan in food processing and oil and gas exploration. He appreciated Pakistan's role in the fight against terrorism.
President Pervez Musharraf during the visit laid a floral wreath at the tomb of unknown solider, paying tributes to the sacrifices of the Polish army during the Second world war. Recording his impression in the visitors' book, the President said he was deeply touched by the patriotic symbol of sacrifices of the Polish soldiers for the defence of their motherland. He said he felt honoured to visit the site. The President also prayed for the peace and prosperity of Poland and its people.
Pakistan and Poland said President Pervez Musharraf were developing a better and clearer understanding on important regional and world issues.
President Musharraf expressed the Pakistani nation's gratitude for all the help and assistance received from Poland in "our hour of need" when Pakistan was struck by a devastating earthquake on the 8th of October 2005. The Polish President said the sides had very interesting and fruitful talks that covered issues of mutual interest and major problems of the contemporary world.
He said Pakistan because of its geographical location and size has an important role to play on world issues. President Lech Kaczynski said Poland as a member of Nato and European Union is also involved in important matters. "Pakistan and Poland will continue talks on such matters and the visit of President Pervez Musharraf has been extremely satisfactory," he said, hoping that top level contacts would continue.
The Polish President said there are significant opportunities for development of relations between Pakistan and Poland in the economic and trade spheres as well as for cooperation in defence, political and cultural fields. The Polish leader said he was convinced that the agreements and MoUs signed by the two countries would lead to deepening of relations.
President Lech Kaczynski said during their excellent and wide-ranging exchange of views they agreed that there is a vast scope for expansion of bilateral trade and investment.
There was complete unanimity of views on various issues of common concern, including the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, the sources said. The two sides underlined the need for exploring new avenues of bilateral cooperation in socio-economic sectors for the benefit of their peoples. There will be regular exchange of delegations at the official and private levels to enhance bilateral trade and economic interaction, the sources said.
The Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski assured that Poland, as a member of the European Union would ensure that there was no discrimination against Pakistan. He said his government would encourage private investors to invest in Pakistan in food processing and oil and gas exploration. He also appreciated Pakistan's role in the fight against terrorism.
President Musharraf expressed satisfaction over his interaction with the President and the Poland's Prime Minister hoped that the relationship between the two countries would be strengthened through greater economic and commercial contacts. He said in the globalised environment, the two countries owed it to their future generations to co-ordinate their efforts to meet challenges and find a solution to make the world a better place to live.
The President said Poland was an important member of the European Union and hoped that with its efforts, the EU would play an active role in the world affairs and bring harmony in the world.
The Polish President expressed the hope that their talks would strengthen relationship between the two countries. He said Poland would convey the position of Pakistan to its EU and Nato partners on different issues. He said the relationship between the two countries needed to be further developed. He said both the countries were prepared to greatly enhance cooperation.
President Pervez Musharraf also addressed the Pakistan-Poland Business Forum, which was attended by the representatives of prominent Polish Business companies. He invited Polish investors to Pakistan, and assured them that they will find an investment friendly environment in the country, with maximum return.
The government of Pakistan, he said was prepared to facilitate the private sector, by extending all possible incentives. He hoped that the Polish investors will attend the forthcoming Expo-2008 being held in Pakistan in a big way and forge an economic partnership that he hoped would lead to a win-win situation.
Referring to Pakistan's economic situation, he said all macro-economic indicators are positive. The country's economy has turned around and was seeking huge foreign investment. There is growing confidence of foreign investors and donors in Pakistan's new economic initiatives.
Underscoring the geographical location of Pakistan, he said the country has become a hub of economic activities. About the newly built Gwadar deep-sea port, the President said it was meant to serve as an energy corridor for the neighbouring and regional countries.
President Musharraf said Polish businessmen could find investment opportunities in energy, oil and gas, IT, telecommunication and food-processing sectors. Pakistan -Poland relations, President Musharaf said, are broad-based, and will reinforce our political and diplomatic understandings. He said his visit was meant to promote understanding on regional and international issues and provide a boost to bilateral trade and economic relations, including the culture and social sector.
President Pervez Musharraf also addressed a large gathering of Polish civil society in Warsaw at the Institute of International. Relations on "Pakistan building regional peace and stability challenges and opportunities. The President spoke at length on contemporary challenges, particularly the threats of extremism and terrorism, being faced by the world today. He stressed that the world community and the Muslim World must join hands to wipe out the root causes of poverty, hunger and sense of deprivation..
President Musharraf during his visit conferred 20 special awards including three Sitara-e-Esar and 17 Tamgha-e-Esar upon four Polish civilians and 16 military officials in recognition of their outstanding spirit of sacrifice and compassion shown by them in the wake of Pakistan's earthquake in October 2005. "International community especially medical and engineering team from Poland helped the government of Pakistan to convert the challenge into an opportunity to improve the living conditions of the affected people," President Musharraf said at an investiture ceremony which was, attended by Polish Defence Minister besides members of the Pakistani entourage.
Polish engineers helped Pakistan in repairing damaged roads in quake-hit areas, setting up schools, clearing landslides and removing debris besides widening roads and provision of clean drinking water. The Polish soldiers who carried out rescue operations in the quake affected areas were part of the six-month Nato mission in Pakistan. The President said Pakistan could not forget the help given by the Polish people in the earthquake rescue and relief operations.
President Pervez Musharraf visit is meant to cement and give new meaning and dimension to the ties of two very important countries, Pakistan and Poland. One is in Asia and the other in Europe. They are not large and they are not small. Both are significant players on the world scene. The joint efforts of Pakistan and Poland if realised can yield many benefits to the prosperity of people of both countries and contribute to world peace. Let us pray that Pakistan, Poland ties continue to grow and prosper.
Authored by I.M.