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Polish president talks Ukraine war, energy cooperation with Ivorian leader

07.09.2022 18:40
Poland’s president on Wednesday met with his Ivorian counterpart, with energy cooperation and the war in Ukraine top of the agenda. 
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Polands President Andrzej Duda (left) and the Ivory Coasts Alassane Ouattara (right) hold a joint news conference after their talks in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast, on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda (left) and the Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara (right) hold a joint news conference after their talks in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast, on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.PAP/Leszek Szymański

Andrzej Duda was hosted by Alassane Ouattara in the Ivorian capital Abidjan, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

The two heads of state held private talks in Ouattara’s presidential palace, followed by a wider meeting, during which the presidents were accompanied by their aides.

Duda and Ouattara signed a memorandum on political consultations between the foreign ministers of Poland and the Ivory Coast, officials said.

At a joint news conference with the Ivorian leader afterwards, Duda said: “Today’s talks were very long and interesting; they create excellent prospects for future cooperation between our countries.”

Energy and war in Ukraine

The two presidents discussed bilateral cooperation in the field of energy, agriculture and high technology, among other areas, as well as the war in Ukraine, according to officials. 

The Polish president said: “President Ouattara’s experience makes it possible to look at Russia’s assault on Ukraine in a way that is consistent with reality, to assess it and to pursue the policy of the state in a way that is appropriate to the real situation.”

'Entire world is suffering due to Russian aggression'

Duda added: “Virtually the entire world is suffering due to the Russian aggression, in terms of rising prices, inflation, and the food and energy crisis caused by Russia.”

He noted that Russian propaganda was getting through to the African media, "seeking to put the blame on Ukraine, the countries of Western Europe and the United States."

“The gas crisis and the food crisis are being deliberately created by Russia,” he stressed.

“It’s a way of forcing the world to accept the occupation of Ukraine - we must not agree to this,” the Polish president said in Abidjan.

Having also visited Nigeria on Tuesday, Duda will now travel to Senegal on Thursday, where he will be accompanied by First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda. 

The Polish president's three-day trip to Africa is a historic one, involving first-ever visits by a Polish head of state to Nigeria, the Ivory Coast and Senegal, reporters were told.

Wednesday is day 196 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(pm)

Source: PAPprezydent.pl

Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.