Baku, Azerbaijan, May 3. The long history of friendly relations between Poland and Azerbaijan is a good foundation for the further development of relations between the two countries, Polish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rafał Poborski said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“The dynamics of contacts over the past four years are different. In 2020-2021, we observed a slowdown due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, after 2022, Poland and Azerbaijan have not only returned to pre-pandemic levels, but we have also increased people-to-people contacts and economic cooperation. One of the important steps that made it possible to facilitate this connection was the opening in May 2022 of direct flights between Warsaw and Baku, operated by LOT Polish Airlines, among Azerbaijanis traveling to Poland for study and work. “This is also contributing to the increase in the number of Poles visiting Azerbaijan not only for tourism purposes but also for business purposes.” said.
Ambassador Poborski believes that in 2024 bilateral cooperation between Poland and Azerbaijan will be much more intensive than in previous years. He expressed hope that the long-planned high-level talks between Poland and Azerbaijan will take place in the coming months.
The diplomat also pointed out several areas in which Azerbaijan and Poland have already established successful cooperation. Regarding the transport sector, he noted that Poland and Azerbaijan are located at the crossroads of international transport corridors linking Europe and Asia.
“It is therefore natural that our country’s role as a logistics and distribution center is growing. Within emerging and developing transport routes, we support the development of transport and logistics cooperation with Azerbaijan, while also strengthening our position as an international transport and logistics hub between East Asia and the Middle East. February 24, 2022 Due to Russian attacks on Ukraine and international sanctions affecting connections through Belarus and Russia, the Middle Corridor confirmed Poland’s interest in the development of this corridor by signing a letter. “We are targeting cooperation between the Baku International Maritime Trade Port and the Polish Port of Gdańsk in 2022,” he elaborated.
He also noted that there is high potential for cooperation in the field of renewable energy between the two countries. Specifically, several Polish producers could enter Azerbaijan’s developing green energy market.
“In addition to its huge hydrocarbon reserves, Azerbaijan is also a potential green energy powerhouse. Therefore, we welcome the authorities’ decision to pay more attention to renewable energy. The role of renewable energy will only grow in the future. Polish companies can contribute “We are happy to support any initiative to strengthen cooperation in this field, just as Polish engineers helped develop your oil and gas industry more than 100 years ago,” he said.
According to the Ambassador, Poland is successfully diversifying away from dependence on fossil fuels, and the share of renewable energy sources in its energy mix is steadily increasing.
“Poland’s installed renewable energy capacity reached a record of over 28.8 GW at the end of 2023. Renewables produced 26% of Poland’s electricity in 2023, up from 19.3% the previous year. This increase is dynamic And the development of renewable energy with its sudden development would not be possible without the technical thinking, innovations and solutions in this field contributed by Polish entrepreneurs, by developing solar projects and starting the implementation of offshore wind energy projects. We also see enormous potential for hydrogen technology to be implemented in industries where electrification is not technically or economically feasible, as we successfully develop hydrogen technology across the entire value chain. This is reflected in the activities of research institutions and companies,” Poborski noted.
The diplomat also provided an update on the Polish Embassy’s implementation of cooperation with Azerbaijan within the V4-Azerbaijan Technology Bridge (V4ATB) program, which began in 2022 and was completed in 2023.
“The one-and-a-half-year program was implemented by the Visegrad Group (V4, Czech Republic-Poland-Slovakia) consortium led by the Startup Hub Poland Foundation. Its goal was to promote cooperation and interaction between the V4 countries and the V4 countries. And this goal was achieved: more than 160 Azerbaijani startups applied to participate in the program, among which the international jury participated for intensive training, workshops, bootcamps and partners. 80 (and Business Angels) of Azerbaijan’s best projects from V4 countries advanced to the semi-finals of the program, which took place in Baku in June 2023 and brought them closer to many V4 investors. .By exploring the potential of Azerbaijani innovators, Azerbaijani startups gained knowledge about the V4 market and ecosystem,” he explained.
The Ambassador believes that as a result of this cooperation, new jointly innovative technological solutions and products of Polish-Azerbaijani origin can appear on the European and global markets.
“The relationships established during the V4ATB program and its finale in Baku are already bearing fruit and will continue to bear fruit in the future. The number of visits to Poland by representatives of the Azerbaijani innovation ecosystem is increasing and we look forward to further visits by Polish representatives from the Azerbaijani side. If interested, Poland is ready to implement similar programs, making the UE market an attractive investment destination globally for young high-tech companies interested in developing their businesses and ideas. And we are actively looking for innovative projects so that new innovative technological solutions and products of Polish-Azerbaijani origin can appear on the European and global markets,” he said.
Rafał Poborski also emphasized that areas of cooperation such as education, science and culture are key elements in the development of bilateral relations between Poland and Azerbaijan.
“During my more than four years as Polish Ambassador to Baku, I have always attached great importance to people-to-people contact and believed that through this we can get to know and understand each other better. For example, delegations from Polish universities and think tanks meet almost every month. A delegation of more than 20 scientists and students from the University of Warsaw’s Graduate School of Oriental Studies is currently staying in Baku to develop scientific and student exchanges between the two countries and to promote Azerbaijan’s history and culture. “We met with Azerbaijani experts to better understand the current developments in the Caucasus,” the ambassador said.
He also pointed to successful collaborations between Polish and Azerbaijani artists and spoke about the embassy’s role in strengthening these relations.
“In December 2023, our Embassy and the Azerbaijani Arts Council jointly hosted the workshop ‘Poland through the eyes of Azerbaijani artists’, featuring 10 Azerbaijani painters who created works on topics related to Polish history, culture, etc. In March 2024, we presented a photo exhibition showing ‘Polish puppetry art’ at the Baku National Puppet Theater with the participation of the Polish community and Azerbaijani art lovers at the ‘Nur Art House’ gallery in Baku Old Town. Example of puppets and marionettes from Poland photographed by Azerbaijani artist and art curator Aydin Sadikhov The Polish Embassy in Baku organizes events to promote knowledge about Azerbaijan and Polish-Azerbaijani historical and cultural relations. Projects in this field are related to the contribution of Polish engineers who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries to the development of the oil and gas industry in Azerbaijan. In early 2024 we sponsored the publication of a book about Witold Zglenicki (1850-1904). Witold Zglenicki (1850-1904) – Polish inventor, geologist and philanthropist, little known in Azerbaijan, whose discoveries contributed significantly to the development of the Azerbaijani gas and oil sector. . In February, the embassy and the Azerbaijani National Museum of History organized an event to promote the Azerbaijani version of the book. “In April 2024, we promoted the English version of this publication to Azerbaijani readers,” he said.
Regarding the future prospects for the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Poland, the Ambassador emphasized that in recent months there have been many developments that have created favorable conditions for this process.
“With the newly created governments in Poland and Azerbaijan, we have gained a new dynamism in our political relations. We look forward to participating in major international gatherings in Baku, such as COP29 and the National Cities Forum. Our country maintains relations with Armenia. We welcome the steps taken by Azerbaijan to normalize the delimitation of the Azerbaijan-Armenia conditional border in April 2024. Stability and peace in the South Caucasus will certainly bring new opportunities for the people of the region, as well as for the liberation of Poland. It may be relevant for the reconstruction of the territory and Karabakh, but experts (architects, engineers, as well as experts in the protection and reconstruction of historical monuments) can provide assistance to the Azerbaijani side in projects implemented in this field. There are also other business opportunities, such as educational cooperation, people-to-people contacts, cultural ties, etc. I believe we are on the right track to make full use of the existing potential of Polish-Azerbaijani cooperation,” he added. .
Ambassador Poborski highlighted the celebration of Constitution Day, Poland’s national holiday, noting that this laid the foundation for excellent and active Polish-Azerbaijani cooperation in the early 20th century and over the past three decades.
“Today we celebrate a special day for Poles all over the world – the 233rd anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution on May 3, 1791, the first of its kind in Europe and the second in the world after the United States. It is the first of its kind in modern times. It was the basic constitution of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious Republic of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which in 1791 was feared by Poland’s authoritarian neighbors. The Constitution of May 3 also served as a guide for Poles, Lithuanians, Belarusians, Ukrainians and many other oppressed nations who fought in Europe for freedom, including Poland and Azerbaijan shortly after they achieved political independence in 1918. The adoption of a constitution based on basic freedoms and equal democratic rights for all citizens, regardless of their ethnic, religious, political or gender status, was repeated in 1990 when the Poles and Azerbaijanis were rid of their communist legacy. This laid the foundation for excellent and active Polish-Azerbaijani cooperation at the beginning of the 20th century and in the last three decades. The legacy of the Constitution of May 3, 1791 is still relevant in Polish-Azerbaijani relations today,” concluded Rafał Poborski.
