Although the volume of trade between Egypt and Poland is not very impressive yet, prospects for wider and deeper economic cooperation between both sides are more evident. Next week, Lech Kaczynski, president of the Republic of Poland, will pay an official visit to Egypt where he will meet with President Hosni Mubarak to negotiate bilateral cooperation between both countries on various fronts. The Polish president will head a delegation of senior officials including Waldemar Pawlak, deputy prime minister and minister of economy, and a number of businessmen representing different Polish companies. Ahead of the occasion, Al-Ahram Weekly interviewed Counsellor , head of the Trade and Investment Promotion Section at the Polish Embassy in Cairo. Both the Egyptian and Polish sides have shown a strong political will to consolidate their bilateral relations. How is this affecting the economic side? Trade and investment relations are playing a vital role in the process of consolidating bilateral relations between Poland and Egypt. At present, countries and governments are facing new financial challenges and realities. In these difficult times, we see an opportunity to enhance our economic relations with Egypt. Egypt is a strategic economic partner for Poland for years to come. What role does the Trade and Investment Promotion Section play in encouraging more business ties between the countries? This year has especially been very dynamic in terms of economic relations. Since Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid's latest official visit to Poland, missions, meetings and visits by businessmen have been going in both directions. In addition to supporting Polish companies trying to enter the Egyptian market and vice versa, I'm trying to create new strategic projects in various sectors such as energy, construction, agriculture and information and communication technologies. My country fully appreciates the role Egypt plays in the MENA region. The private sector is the driving force behind more robust economic relations. What are the steps taken to bring the business sector in both countries to engage in more bilateral trade and investment? We are still not satisfied with the volume of trade (Polish exports to Egypt reached $224.3 million in 2008, imports $63 million for the same period), but the total volume of trade is fast growing. We are very glad that the Polish oil and gas company, PGNIG, won an important tender to explore at Baharia block. In the meantime, we are interested in attracting Egyptian companies to invest in Poland for many reasons. First, Poland has been underlined as the best place for investment over Germany, France and Russia, according to the 2008 European Attractiveness Survey conducted by Ernst & Young. The Polish economy turned out to be more resistant to recession and more prudently managed than most of the world's developed countries. This should encourage more Egyptian businessmen to come to Poland. What are the main issues to be discussed during the official visit scheduled next week? It is planned to sign various agreements for economic cooperation. Representatives from 15 strategic Polish companies will meet their Egyptian counterparts to negotiate business deals. An Egyptian-Polish Economic Forum will be held in Alexandria on 24 November in cooperation with the Alexandria Businessmen Association. Another important meeting will be arranged by the Industrial Modernisation Centre and the Federation of Egyptian Industries.
