English Section

Polish president holds talks in Senegal

08.09.2022 18:30
Poland’s president on Thursday met with the Senegalese head of state to discuss bilateral cooperation and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Audio
Polands President Andrzej Duda (left) and Senegals Macky Sall (right) hold a joint news conference after their talks in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday, September 8, 2022.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda (left) and Senegal's Macky Sall (right) hold a joint news conference after their talks in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday, September 8, 2022.PAP/Leszek Szymański

Andrzej Duda was hosted by Macky Sall in the capital Dakar, Polish state news agency PAP reported. 

The Polish president was accompanied by First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda

The two heads of state held a private conversation, followed by a wider meeting between officials, reporters were told. 

At a joint news conference with his host afterwards, Duda said: “We discussed cooperation in many fields with President Sall, also in terms of the wider region, in such areas as potential deliveries of hydrocarbons to our country, the mining of deposits and the development of the IT sector, in which Polish companies can assist.” 

The Polish president added that the conversation also focused on military cooperation, including between the Polish and Senegalese defence industries. 

Hydrocarbons

On the issue of hydrocarbons, Duda noted that “Senegal’s hydrocarbon deposits will start to be mined in the immediate future.”

He added that his delegation included “representatives of the Polish oil and chemicals giant PKN Orlen and [state gas company] PGNiG.”

“We discussed the mining of these deposits, possible cooperation in terms of technology and investment, and potential supply of hydrocarbons to our country,” the Polish head of state said.

“Indeed, there are some very, very serious prospects for cooperation, including when it comes to the future supply of hydrocarbons from Senegal,” the president stressed.    

Support for Ukraine 

The talks between Duda and Sall also focused on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, officials said. 

The Polish president told reporters: “Today, the Russians are seeking to deprive the Ukrainians of their sovereignty and independence, and so we are firmly supporting Ukraine.”

Senegal was the final stop on Duda’s three-day trip to Africa, which also included visits to Nigeria on Tuesday and the Ivory Coast on Wednesday. 

In Abuja, Abidjan and Dakar, the Polish president held talks on “the supply of energy commodities to Poland, Russia’s food blackmail and the Russian propaganda” amid the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, officials told reporters.  

Duda became the first Polish head of state to visit Nigeria, the Ivory Coast and Senegal, according to officials.   

Thursday is day 197 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.