Azerbaijan - Poland relations


      

         

 
History of relations: The history of the Azerbaijani-Polish relations dates back to the 15th century. Aggoyunlu ruler Uzun Hasan managed to establish diplomatic relations with the Polish king Yagello. In the middle of the 19th century the Azerbaijani heroic epos "Koroghlu" was translated by A. Xodzko, a Pole, and published in English and French.

Pole Ledinski and Azerbaijani Topchubashov founded a special group in the Tsarist Duma to struggle for the autonomy of Azerbaijan and Poland. The first chief of staff of the national army of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan was the Polish general Sulkevich.

After World War I when the poles were deported from Poland, ten thousands of people came to Azerbaijan. At present over two thousand Poles live in Baku only.

Bilateral political relations: Poland recognized the independence of Azerbaijan on December 27, 1991, and diplomatic contacts were established between the two countries on February 21, 1992. The Polish embassy was established in Azerbaijan in 2001 and the Azerbaijani embassy in Poland in 2004 respectively.

On August 26-28, 1997, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev paid an official visit to Poland at the invitation of the Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski. During the visit the presidents held discussions on the development of bilateral relations and international situation. After the Azerbaijani-Polish talks, the presidents signed a declaration on friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Poland. The following documents were signed during the visit: "Declaration on the development of friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries", "Convention on elimination of double taxation and evasion of payment of incomes and estate taxes", "Protocol on cooperation between the ministries of foreign affairs of the two countries", "Agreement on cultural and scientific cooperation", "Agreement on mutual encouragement and protection of investments", "Agreement in the sphere of civil transportation", and "Agreement on cooperation in the sphere of tourism".

In the framework of the visit Heydar Aliyev met the chairman of the Polish Sejm Joseph Zech. During the conversation Heydar Aliyev said that Azerbaijan highly appreciates the position of Poland in the "Partnership Peace Program" of NATO and considers his partner in Europe. Touching the Armenian-Azerbaijani, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President of Azerbaijan comprehensively informed the chairman of the Polish Sejm about it. He drew to the attention of the chairman of the Sejm to such a fact that Armenia has occupied the territories of Azerbaijan and violated the international law.

Then Presdient Heydar Aliyev met the representatives of business circles at Polish Chamber of Commerce. President Heydar Aliyev made a speech at the meeting.

On Novemeber 25, 1998, the acting chairman of OSCE, minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Bronislaw Geremek visited Azerbaijan. The last proposals of the Minsk Group of OSCE on the Armenian-Azerbaijani, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Azerbaijani-Polish relations were discussed at his meeting with President of Azerbaijani Heydar Aliyev. Geremek said to Heydar Aliyev that he would do his best to ensure the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and return the refugees and IDPs home.

On October 27-29, 1999, the Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski paid the first official visit to Azerbaijan at the invitation of the President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev.

Heydar Aliyev made a speech at the official reception organized in honor of the Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski. He said:" In the December of 1996, at the Lisbon Summit of OSCE during the process of the adoption of the document on the peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Poland supported to Azerbaijan and was among 53 OSCE countries voted for OSCE declaration on this issue".

A tête-à-tête meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Poland was held within the framework of the visit. They exchanged of views on bilateral relations, the Armenian-Azerbaijani, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, international situation, including the situation in the Caucasus and expansion of cooperation within the framework of international organizations. A memorandum of mutual understanding between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and Oil and Gas Company of Poland and a joint statement of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev and the President of the Republic of Poland Alexander Kwasniewski were signed during the visit.

The Polish President visited the Azerbaijani parliament and spoke to the MPs. Alexander Kwasniewski was conferred on the title of the honorary doctor of Baku State University and rewarded with a jubilee medal of the University when he visited the higher school. Azerbaijani-Polish relations succefully continued after the election of Ilham Aliyev President of Azerbaijan in the October of 2003.

On March 30, 2005, President Ilham Aliyev paid an official visit to the Republic of Poland. During the visit seven agreements were signed together with an agreement on cooperation in the military sphere". On May 22-23, 2006, the Polish President Lech Kaczynski participated at GUAM Summit, held in Kiev as a guest. He said that he was interested in the expansion of GUAM as a regional organization and establishment of close contacts with the members of GUAM, including Azerbaijan.

On March 30, 2007, the newly elected President of Poland Lech Kaczynski paid an official visit to Azerbaijan. In the tête-à-tête meeting of Ilham Aliyev and Lech Kaczynski it was stressed that the Azerbaijani-Polish contacts were developing successfully in the sphere of politics, economy and humanitarian issues. During the visit of the Polish President a joint statement of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Poland was signed.

On June 18, 2007, Lech Kaczynski, the Polish President, for the second time visited Azerbaijan to participate in the Summit of GUAM. Meeting President Ilham Aliyev, Lech Kaczynski talked about the Azerbaijani-Polish contacts which develop successfully in all spheres, he stressed the role of GUAM in expanding the beneficial cooperation between the countries.

On February 26, 2008 President Ilham Aliyev paid another visit to Poland. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Polish President Lech Kaczynski met during the visit. A joint statement of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and President of the Republic of Poland was signed during the visit. The statement noted Poland supports the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the frames of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, and in the framework of the Charter of the United Nations.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met President of Poland Lech Kaczynski in the summit of GUAM in Batumi on July 1, 2008. they expressed satisfaction with the expansion of bilateral relations in political, economical, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Poland Lech Kaczynski signed the Regulations of the"Counsel Committee of the presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Poland". "Protocol of intention" between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and "Grupa Lotos" joint stock company of Poland and "Cooperation schedule for 2009-2010" between the Security Council of Azerbaijan and National Security Bureau of Poland were signed as well.

President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczynski was decorated with the supreme order of Azerbaijan "Heydar Aliyev", for his special services in the development of the relations between Azerbaijan and Poland.

The presidents made statements for the press regarding the visit of the Polish President Lech Kaczynski to Azerbaijan.

Economic relations: Recently great successes have been achieved in the Azerbaijani-Polish trade relations. In 2008, for the first time in the history of its economic relations Azerbaijan gained trade surplus, and turnover of goods between the two countries reached $166.9 million. Oil and oil products dominate over the goods exported from Azerbaijan. Great perspectives are expecting in the sphere of energy. "Sarmatiya" company has been established to prepare technical details of Baku-Odessa-Brody-Plotsk-Gdansk pipeline which seemed to be a legend for many years. It shows the increasing role of Azerbaijan in ensuring energy security of Poland in the nearest future.

Cultural relations: The Azerbaijani-Polish cultural relations have centuries-old history. In 1827 the Azerbaijani orientalist, professor of Petersburg University Mirza Jafar Topchubashov translated "The Crimea sonnets" of the great Polish poet Adam Mitzkevich into Persian. The outstanding representatives of the 19th century Azerbaijani literature Abbasgulu Bakikahnov and Ismail bey Gutgashinli visited Poland. Bakikahnov wrote a whole number of poems and his "Asrar al-Malakut" which interprets the doctrine of Copernicus. "Rashid bey and Saadat khanum", the first Azerbaijani realistic prose by I. Gutgashinli, was published in Warsaw in 1835. The Poles played a great role in the history of the Azerbaijani architecture. Goslawski and Ploshko, the architects of a number of buildings in the center of Baku, are well known in Azerbaijan. Engineer Pototsky presented the first project of oil extracting in the Caspian shelf and ensured its fulfillment.

The Azerbaijani-Polish relations are at a strategic level. To expand the current relations with Poland, which is member of NATO, European Union and other reputable international organizations, is of particular importance for Azerbaijan. Poland supports Azerbaijan in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and standards of international law.

General historical reference was compiled on April 5, 2010.