Polish president starts official visit to Sweden

President Andrzej Duda arrived in Sweden on Tuesday evening for a three-day official visit.

Fot. PAP/Jacek Turczyk / Sztokholm, Szwecja, 29.11.2016. Prezydent Andrzej Duda (2P) z małżonką Agatą Kornahuser-Dudą (L) podczas spotkania ze szwedzką Polonią w ambasadzie RP w Sztokholmie, 29 bm. Para prezydencka przybyła z oficjalną trzydniową wizytą do Szwecji. Prezydent z małżonką zostaną przyjęci przez króla Karola XVI Gustawa i królową Sylwię. Duda spotka się też z premierem Szwecji. Rozmowy będą dotyczyły m.in. innowacyjności i bezpieczeństwa. (zuz) Fot. PAP/Jacek Turczyk

On Wednesday, after taking part in the inauguration of a Polish-Swedish seminar entitled "Innovation: A Key to Future Growth. Polish and Swedish Experiences", the Polish president will be received by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

President Duda's visit is to focus on three aspects of Polish-Swedish relations, presidential Minister Krzysztof Szczerski told PAP earlier. "First of all on economic diplomacy which President Duda is strongly emphasising as one of the pillars of his foreign policy," said the minister.

The second pillar involves political talks which the president will hold on Thursday with top Swedish politicians including Riksdag Speaker Urban Ahlin and Prime Minister Stefan Loefven, said Szczerski.

He noted that Poland and Sweden were closely bound by security policy cooperation. "The safety of the Baltic Sea [region] is our common concern", Szczerski said, noting that although Sweden was not a NATO member, it was a very active partner of the alliance playing an especially important role as regards the security of the Baltic Sea states.

President Duda's talks are to cover issues related to the future of Europe and the Eastern Partnership programme. The president is also to present Poland's negative opinions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline initiative and on the European Commission's recent decision on the OPAL gas pipeline. (PAP)

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