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Polish president talks Ukraine, economic ties with Japan’s PM

22.03.2023 15:15
The Polish president has met with the prime minister of Japan to discuss security issues, the war in Ukraine and bilateral economic cooperation, including Japanese investment in Poland, according to officials.
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Polish President Andrzej Duda (left) and Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) meet for talks at the presidential palace in Warsaw, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
Polish President Andrzej Duda (left) and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) meet for talks at the presidential palace in Warsaw, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.PAP/Andrzej Lange

Poland’s Andrzej Duda and Japan’s Fumio Kishida spoke at the presidential palace in Warsaw on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

Earlier in the day, the Japanese prime minister held talks with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki, after arriving in Poland straight from a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, according to news reports.  

After the meeting between Duda and Kishida, the Polish president’s top foreign policy aide, Marcin Przydacz, told reporters that the two leaders “held very good discussions, with good effects for Poland and regional security.” 

Przydacz revealed that the talks focused “on security issues, the war in Ukraine, and bilateral matters, such as economic cooperation and Japanese investment projects in Poland.”

Poland, Japan 'united in efforts to stop and deter Russia’

The Polish presidential aide said that “both Poland and Japan support a global order based on international law, which is being violated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.”  

Przydacz added: “This message rang loud and clear here, at the presidential palace, during today’s Polish-Japanese talks.”

He stated: “We all want order and stability to be restored, and the war in Ukraine to end, but this war can only end if Russia abandons its aggressive policy.”

Przydacz also said that “Poland and Japan are united in their efforts to stop and deter Russia.”

He told reporters that “Japan is a major player on the international stage, as reflected in its membership of the G7 group of rich nations."

Przydacz added that the G7 would convene for a summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May, to discuss “ways to keep thwarting Russia through sanctions,” among other topics.   

Polish-Japanese economic ties

Duda and Fushida also discussed Polish-Japanese economic ties, which “are very important for Poland,” according to Przydacz.

He said the talks touched upon Polish-Japanese economic cooperation, “notably when it comes to the promotion of Polish food and other products on the Japanese market.”

Przydacz told reporters: “We want to promote Polish products, while also encouraging Japanese companies to invest more in the Polish economy, including in our infrastructure as part of the Three Seas Initiative.”

The Polish-led Three Seas Initiative aims to boost infrastructure, energy and business ties among 12 countries between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas.

The initiative brings together Poland, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

The initiative’s key partners include the European Union and the United States.

'Japan will work to strengthen cooperation with Poland': Kishida

Meanwhile, Japan's Kishida later said in a tweet: "I visited Poland and met with President Duda and Prime Minister Morawiecki. I expressed my respect to them for playing such an important role as a base for military and humanitarian support for Ukraine and underlined the importance of cooperation among like-minded countries."

The Japanese prime minister added: "As the presidency of the G7, Japan will work to have the international community unite in providing support for Ukraine and strengthen cooperation with Poland."

Wednesday is day 392 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, prezydent.pl

Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Agnieszka Bielawska.