RIYADH, 16 February 2004 — Saudi Arabia and Poland will sign an agreement shortly to combat terrorism and organized crimes.
A five-member delegation headed by Zbignew Wrona, director of the Legal Department in the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, was in the Kingdom for the first round of talks which dealt with drafting the agreement. Dr. Abdul Rahim Al-Ghamdi of the Ministry of Interior headed the Saudi team.
The talks were set up during the visit of Zbigniew Siemiapkowski, head of the Intelligence Unit, who had preliminary discussions with his counterpart here in September. The agreement is in line with a cooperation agreement between the two countries.
At a reception hosted by Andrzej Wozniak, charge d’affaires at the Polish Embassy, Wrona told Arab News that the Kingdom would be the first country in the Middle East to enter into a cooperation agreement with Poland on security matters. Poland has similar agreements with most EU countries, Turkey and India.
“In addition to prevention of terrorism, the agreement will cover a wider area of security interests such as organized crimes, drug trafficking, individual crimes and related offenses against properties and individuals,” Wrona said.
He said the primary aim was to provide adequate security and safety for the two countries and also to exchange information on related matters. The agreement would be in accord with international laws and domestic regulations in both countries, he added. It will be signed in Warsaw as soon as the draft has been finalized.
Polish exports to the Kingdom are valued at $67.5 million while its imports of petrochemical products, sheep skin and carpets are estimated at $29.5 million. Polish exports to the Kingdom include steel, construction materials, glass, agricultural products and electronic products.
Wozniak said there were other openings in trade and joint ventures in the two countries. He said Poland would receive Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal in Poland on Thursday. The prince will be received upon arrival by both the Polish president and the country’s prime minister.
