By: Gazette Staff CAIRO, April 27, 2018 - Preparations are under way by Cairo and Warsaw for an expected visit to Cairo by Polish President Andrzej Duda in response to at an official invitation from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, a diplomat said on Friday. Egypt's Ambassador in Warsaw Hossam el-Qawiesh said that Poland paid special attention to relations with Egypt. This attention is reflected by the preparations made by the Polish Foreign Ministry for Duda's expected visit to Cairo, Ambassador Qawiesh said. President Duda's visit will be a culmination of growing relations between Cairo and Warsaw, Ambassador el-Qawiesh said. During a meeting with a number of Egyptian businessmen who were in the Polish capital on a door-knocking mission, he said that bilateral ties were being elevated in all domains. This year, Ambassador el-Qawiesh said that the number of Polish tourists who visited Egypt doubled last year's figure. The Egyptian Ambassador added that the number of flights from Warsaw and Katowice to Cairo rose this year to five, up from only three ones last year. This, he said, demonstrates the confidence Polish tourists have in the security situation in Egypt. Ambassador El-Qawiesh said he met the head of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in early April. He revealed that the agency prepared to open an office in Cairo with the aim of bolstering trade and investment ties with Egypt. He said that an official Polish delegation will visit Cairo in June to officially inaugurate the office. The office will open up new opportunities for the exchange of information about investment chances that are available in the two countries, the ambassador said. He added that the main mission of the office will be increasing Polish investments in Egypt as well as encouraging Egyptian businessmen to invest in Poland. Ambassador El-Qawiesh said that negotiations were going on for the establishment of a Polish industrial zone in the Suez Canal area. A Polish delegation had visited the Suez Canal region recently and met with Suez Canal Authority Head Mohab Mamish, he said, adding that a delegation representing Banque Misr was expected to visit Warsaw soon to discuss banking cooperation with Polish officials. Ambassador El-Qawiesh said bilateral banking co-operation would facilitate financial dealings between Egyptian and Polish companies.
