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The Official Visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Poland

The Official Visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Poland

On the 25th of June 2007 the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud paid a two-day visit to Poland.

After the official welcome ceremony on the courtyard of the Presidential Palace, King Abdullah met with President Lech Kaczyński. During the plenary talks, the current international situation was discussed with emphasis on the situation in the Middle East. President Kaczyński and King Abdullah also touched a question of bilateral relations, including the prospects for economic cooperation in the energy area. President Kaczyński noted that cooperation with Arab countries of the Arabian Gulf, in particular with Saudi Arabia, is one of the priorities of Polish foreign policy outside the Euroatlantic area. Moreover President Kaczyński thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for financing the surgical separation of the Siamese twins Daria and Olga, emphasizing that this gesture met with great interest and appreciation on the Polish society. Following the plenary talks, decoration ceremony was held – Prof. Lech Kaczyński, was awarded with the highest Saudi decoration - the King Abdulaziz Medallion, whereas King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received the Order of the White Eagle – in recognition of great merit for the development of friendly relations between the Republic of Poland and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Several agreements and bilateral memorandums were signed in the presence of President Kaczyński and King Abdullah, listed below:

- Agreement on cooperation in science and technology between the Polish Academy of Sciences and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology,

- Memorandum of Understanding between the Polish Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on cooperation in the area of health,

- Memorandum of Understanding between the Polish Ministry of Sports and the General Presidency for Youth Welfare of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the area of sports,

- Memorandum on cooperation in the area of science and education between the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Higher Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,

- Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on cooperation in combating crime.

Mr. and Mrs. Kaczyńscy had hosted a formal dinner at the Royal Castle in Warsaw in the honor of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. During the dinner Mr. Kaczyński announced welcoming speech honoring the King and the accompanying delegation and had raised a toast, saying:

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!
It is for me and my country a great honor today to receive in Warsaw the King of Saudi Arabia. Today we welcome the monarch of one of the most powerful and influential countries of the Middle East. But we welcome today the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques – a person who plays a special role in the Muslim faith, in Islam, that is to say a religion, which is one of so-called “religions of the book”. It involves today millions of people around the world, from Europe to Indonesia and Malaysia, to Africa as well as the United States and South America. Hence Your Royal Highness deserves from us, from a Christian nation, the words of respect for the religion of Your Royal Highness, the religion of Your fellow countrymen and the religion, as I said a moment ago, of hundreds of millions of other people.

Saudi Arabia is a country, upon which a special volume of riches has been bestowed. However I have already said to Your Royal Highness and to all other members of the delegation that it is not only for this reason, not even especially because of it that with such joy we welcome today Your Royal Highness and the whole delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in our country. We have said privately and later during talks of the delegations that peace is today the greatest of values. Both Saudi Arabia as well as Poland want peace – everywhere, around the world so also in the Middle East. For peace to be possible one has to cooperate, one has to get closer to others, to know each other. This is extremely important for our relations and generally for relations between nations. This visit will undoubtedly reinforce our mutual awareness and good relations, though these have been quite vivid between us. Poland was one of the first states worldwide, over seventy years ago, to recognize the states of the then Arab Peninsula and a symbol of our ties became the generous gesture of Your Royal Highness, connected with the separation of the Kołacz sisters – Siamese twins coming from our country. This is why Your Royal Highness is widely known in Poland, becoming known even before assuming the throne of Saudi Arabia, well-known and generally respected and liked. Remembering about economic cooperation, about the mighty capital of Saudi Arabia, the road for which to Poland is naturally open, I wish to draw special attention to this fact. Also on behalf of my whole Nation, which I am President of, I wish to convey to Your Royal Highness expressions of gratitude, friendship and great respect. Observing the customs of Islam I would like to raise this glass of water to Your Royal Highness".

On the second day of the visit the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud met with the Prime Minister of Poland Mr. Jarosław Kaczyński, who was honored with the Grand Ribbon of the Order of King Abdulaziz. The talks, among other things, concerned the 75-year old tradition of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 'I am very pleased with the visit of such honorable guests,' said the head of government.
Afterwards in Belvedere Palace the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques met with Olga and Daria twins who two years ago underwent the separation operation in a hospital in Riyadh.