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Polish president honoured by Hungary

09.09.2021 10:30
Poland's President Andrzej Duda is on Thursday visiting Hungary, where he will meet with the country's leaders and receive a state award.
Polish President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda board a plane to Budapest at Warsaws Chopin Airport on Wednesday evening.
Polish President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda board a plane to Budapest at Warsaw's Chopin Airport on Wednesday evening.Photo: PAP/Albert Zawada

The Polish head of state is on what is his sixth official trip to Hungary, presidential aide Wojciech Kolarski told state news agency PAP.

Duda has already met with his Hungarian counterpart 12 times, either bilaterally or as part of the regional Visegrad Group, which also includes the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Kolarski noted.

"This shows how good and close the relations between Poland and Hungary are," Kolarski told the news agency.

The Polish president, accompanied by First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, will begin his visit with a meeting with Hungary's head of state, Janos Ader, on Thursday morning.

Following a private conversation between the two leaders, officials from both countries will sit down for talks.

Later, Duda is scheduled to meet with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and the head of the National Assembly, Laszlo Kover.

The talks are expected to focus on political, economic and cultural topics related to bilateral relations, Kolarski said ahead of the visit.

Duda is also set to discuss a deepening of regional ties through the Visegrad Group and the Three Seas Initiative of 12 European countries between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas, including Poland and Hungary.

"Security is also certain to be on the agenda," Kolarski said, "specifically the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, and the crisis caused by the actions of the authorities in Minsk."

Finally, the Polish president will receive the Grand Cross with Chain and Gold-Ray Star of the Hungarian Order of Merit, the PAP news agency reported.

This is Budapest's highest decoration for foreign heads of state. It was granted to Duda last year, but it could not be handed over earlier due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to officials.

"It's a great honour for the Polish president and a reflection of the excellent relations between our countries," Kolarski told PAP.

The commendation will be bestowed by Ader, who has stressed Duda's "special role and personal involvement" in developing Polish-Hungarian relations.

Ader said the Polish president's contribution ranged from strengthening bilateral political ties to popularising common historical heritage; from pursuing shared interests within the EU to cultivating Polish-Hungarian friendship, which, since 2007, has its annual celebration day on 23 March, the PAP news agency reported.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP