Seeks boost in bilateral ties with Pakistan
ZUBAIR QURESHI
Ambassador Maciej Pisarski of Poland and Defence Attache Bogdan Obuchowski Wednesday evening hosted a reception marking Poland’s Independence Day and the Armed Forces Day and reiterated their country’s unwavering support for Ukraine against the Russian aggression.
Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Aisha Ghaus Pasha was the chief guest at the ceremony while one could see quite a big number of the European heads of missions attending the reception on a chilly evening. Though arrangements were made to make the event warmer and livelier. Besides food and other delicacies, the popular jazz band, Marcel Balinski Trio was there to mesmerize the audience with its performance and the diplomats enjoyed themselves the traditional jazz trio, the timbral potential of the double-bass and percussion employed as active and integral agent.
Aisha Ghaus Pasha congratulated the Polish ambassador, his spouse Justyna Pisarska and the Defence Attache on the auspicious occasion and said Pakistan valued its cooperation with Poland and other European nations particularly in trade and energy sectors. Our delegations have been exchanging visits as Europe is one of the biggest markets of Pakistani exports because of the special status the EU has given us, she said.
Reciprocating a similar desire for increased pace of trade and bilateral relations, Ambassador Pisarski said the year 2022 marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Pakistan. Currently, our bilateral trade volume is around US$800 million but it is expected to grow in the coming days, he said.
Poland is in business cooperation with the Pakistani companies in the digital industry as well as the green economy, he said. However, according to him, the jewel in the crown of this partnership is the bilateral cooperation in gas and oil. Polish Oil and Gas Company also known as POGC has been operating in Pakistan since 1997 as a branch office of PGNiG. The company is exploring gas and oil reserves in Sindh and currently its investment in Pakistan is around US$300 million, the ambassador said
About its share of humanitarian assistance for the flood-affected people of Sindh, the Polish ambassador said Poland was part of the relief and rehabilitation operation under the EU-led assistance for the victims of the flood.
The major part of the Polish ambassador’s address was however about his country’s unequivocal support for the people of Ukraine, the women and the children who, he said, were facing the worst form of aggression. “In the hall next to this stage, you will visit and see the drawings by the Ukraine children and they will remind you of the pain and sufferings the Polish children felt and penned it down on the canvas,” he said.
Both the artworks though created in different times but have the similar yearning and reflect the similar suffering, he said. He condemned the Russian designs to subdue the Ukraine nation but paid tributes to the brave soldiers and the people of Ukraine who are fighting back against an enemy that is far more resourceful and powerful.
