Doha, Qatar: As the country celebrates its Independence Day today, Poland's Ambassador to Qatar H E Tomasz Sadziński (pictured) highlighted the strong and growing ties between Poland and Qatar across political, economic, cultural, and people-to-people fronts.

“Poland's Independence Day is celebrated on November 11 to commemorate the joyous moment when our country regained sovereignty in 1918 - after 123 years of subjugation to foreign powers,” said Ambassador Sadziński in an exclusive interview with The Peninsula.

“We were a nation with robust national heritage, culture, and rich history dating back to 10th century but had been stripped of our own statehood for 123 years, which was quite tragic. The festivities on this day aim at appreciating our achievements as a nation.”

Each year, Polish communities around the world mark the day with festivities, parades, and cultural events.

“In Doha, will hold a reception for the Polish community, organise an independence run in cooperation with the Polish school, and host concerts highlighting famous Polish composers. It's a joyous occasion to come together, to network, and to strengthen our community in Qatar.” This year a new initiative will extend the celebrations to Al Udeid Air Base, where military personnel from Poland and allied and partner countries will take part in Poland's Independence Day Run.“We expect at least 500 participants,” the envoy said.

Turning to bilateral relations, Ambassador Sadziński noted that ties between Poland and Qatar have reached new heights.

“Our political relations are very strong. We welcomed H H the Amir in Poland last year in July, which was accompanied by a business forum and the sighing of a bilateral agreement on cooperation in science and higher education. We continue to see frequent high-level meetings between both countries. A large delegation will be participating in the Doha Forum in December,” he said.

He highlighted close cooperation on global security issues, adding that both nations have faced external threats in recent months.“Both countries understand the importance of upholding international norms and respecting sovereignty,” he emphasised.

One of the areas of cooperation which we plan to enhance is parliamentary diplomacy. To this end, a delegation consisting of members of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, which included the Chair of the Polish-Qatari Parliamentary Group, Wojciech Król, and member of the group, Tomasz Kostus, has visited Qatar from November 8 till 11. A meeting, for the first time, was held with the Speaker of the Shura Council of the State of Qatar, H E Hassan bin Abdulla Al-Ghanim and the Polish parliamentary delegation. The group also met the leadership of Qatar Museums, Qatar National Library, Aspetar, Katara Cultural Village, Ministry of Interior and toured the headquarters of Al Jazeera Media Network. The discussions confirmed the great potential to boost our ties through parliamentary cooperation.

On the economic front, Ambassador Sadziński described the partnership as“robust and full of untapped potential.” Poland imports almost 3 bn m3 of LNG from Qatar annually, making it a cornerstone of Poland's energy security.“LNG remains key to our economy, and we are expanding our import capacity through new terminals from the current 8 bn m3 to 14,4 bn m3 in 2028,” he said.

The Independence Run held as part of Polish Independence Day celebrations in Doha.

Sadziński also highlighted that both sides are working to deepen trade and investment cooperation.“The trade turnover exceeded $1.3bn in 2024 and we are hoping to see further growth in this regard this year. To further boost the partnership, we will be holding an investment forum on November 24 in collaboration with Invest Qatar, the Polish Agency for Investment and Trade, and Employers of Poland,” he said.“Poland is a trusted destination for investors from all over the world. Between 2022 and 2024 more than $73bn of funds was allocated to our country as FDI,” he said and added“ Recognising the growing interest in the tourism sector on both sides a 40-member Polish delegation led by the Polish Tourism Organization will arrive in Qatar in November to explore new avenues of cooperation. A tourism activation workshop will be held with local counterparts.”

Poland, which held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025, has also engaged actively with Gulf states on security, trade, and digital transformation.“Poland has been focusing on various aspects of security-defence, energy, cyber, and information security, including fighting disinformation, which is a key challenge to all nations,” he said. The envoy also identified new areas of collaboration, including renewable and nuclear energy, agriculture processing, and food security.“Poland is undergoing a dynamic energy transformation, and there's great potential for Qatar to invest in renewable and energy storage projects. The first phase of offshore wind projects requires investments valued at about $30bn. The nuclear sector will also become key pillar of the economy, with small modular reactors (SMRs) constituting a large part of the investment drive,” he said.

Beyond economics, cultural and educational exchanges are playing an increasing role in building mutual understanding.“Last year, an agreement was signed to enhance cooperation in higher education and science. We are engaging with Qatar University and Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and a delegation from Jagiellonian University will visit Doha in December,” he announced.

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Cultural diplomacy remains another key pillar. The embassy has hosted events celebrating Polish literature, music, and art, including concerts and film collaborations with the Doha Film Institute.“We want to present Polish culture regularly to the local audience,” Ambassador Sadziński said.“In 2027, we will also mark the 100th anniversary of the Chopin International Piano Competition with special events in Doha.”

The ambassador praised the vibrant Polish community in Qatar, describing them as“ambassadors of Poland” contributing to the Qatari economy and society.“About 800 Polish citizens are in Qatar and they are highly skilled professionals in aviation, banking, healthcare, education, and business consultancy,” he said.

Looking ahead, he stressed that people-to-people relations will remain the foundation of bilateral cooperation.“Our priority is to build human connections through business events, tourism, cultural exchanges. This strengthens trust and helps us unlock the full potential of our partnership,” Ambassador Sadziński said.

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