In their message, Poland's Mateusz Morawiecki and Australia's Scott Morrison noted that the two countries established full diplomatic relations on February 20, 1972.
"On that day, we affirmed the warm friendship between our nations," the two prime ministers said in their statement.
They added that their countries' "enduring relationship" dates back to the arrival of the first Polish migrants to Australia in the 19th century.
"Since then, generations of men and women of Polish heritage have made significant contributions to the progress of modern Australia," the statement said.
It added that the 1939 invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany spurred Australia’s entry into World War II.
"We honour our service personnel who bravely fought side by side, most famously in 1941 during the Siege of Tobruk, and the Australian and Polish aircrew who flew in support of the Warsaw Uprising," Morawiecki and Morrison said.
In the aftermath of war, Australia welcomed thousands of Poles who journeyed there to "establish new lives in a new land," according to the statement.
"Australians stood fast in support of the brave struggle of the Polish people against communist rule and martial law, and celebrated Poland’s return to democracy in 1989," Morawiecki and Morrison said in their message.
They added that in recent years the two countries "have worked closely together as democracies — supporting the rules-based international order and open and fair trade."
According to the statement, the relationship between Poland and Australia "is one of mutual respect, underpinned by ties of family, friendship, history, heritage, and strong community links."
After "the catastrophic bushfires in 2019, Polish volunteer firefighters were involved in coordinating donations" to Australia's Kosciuszko National Park, while last year Poland shared with Australia its surplus doses of COVID-19 vaccines, helping save many lives, the statement also said.
"For 50 years, Australia and Poland have cooperated to build and enhance our strong bilateral relations," Morawiecki and Morrison said.
"Today, we are proud of our friendship, confident in our shared interests and optimistic in the opportunities that lie ahead," they added.
Australia's Morrison in August last year thanked Poland for sharing 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with his country.
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Source: PAP, gov.pl