Poland Looks Forward to Long-term Relations with Saudi Arabia in IT, Food Security

Robert Rostek, Polish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, during the inauguration ceremony of the direct air line between Riyadh and Warsaw. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Robert Rostek, Polish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, during the inauguration ceremony of the direct air line between Riyadh and Warsaw. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Poland Looks Forward to Long-term Relations with Saudi Arabia in IT, Food Security

Robert Rostek, Polish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, during the inauguration ceremony of the direct air line between Riyadh and Warsaw. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Robert Rostek, Polish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, during the inauguration ceremony of the direct air line between Riyadh and Warsaw. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

A senior Polish diplomat revealed growing prospects for fruitful cooperation between his country and Saudi Arabia, especially in food security, while many companies operating in information technology and the food industry have expressed their interest in establishing local offices in the Kingdom.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Robert Rostek, the Polish ambassador to Saudi Arabia, emphasized that the two countries’ leaderships are determined to develop bilateral economic, political and social relations.
He also said that the European 5-year Schengen visa that is provided for Saudi nationals will increase tourism and trade between the two sides.
The volume of bilateral trade reached $7.9 billion in 2023, which makes the Kingdom the largest economic partner of Poland at the level of Arab countries, the ambassador stated.
“In 2025, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, although official contacts go back nearly 100 years... If it were not for our complex history, our diplomatic relations would have remained unhindered throughout these years”, he said.
According to Rostek, relations between Riyadh and Warsaw have developed at an unusual pace especially in the past year. He explained that senior Polish officials visited the Kingdom in 2023, including the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Minister of Finance Magdalena Rzeczkowska.
Similarly, some senior Saudi officials conducted visits to Poland, he remarked. Those include the Saudi Minister of Economy, Faisal Al-Ibrahim, in May, and the Minister Transport and Logistics, Saleh Al-Jasser, with the Chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Abdulaziz Al-Duwailej, in August, whose mission greatly contributed to the signing of the Polish-Saudi air transport agreement, which led to the establishment of a direct air line between Riyadh and Warsaw, just one month ago.
The Polish diplomat went on to say: “We have also worked together on the Ukrainian file, and supported diplomatic efforts, by participating in the Jeddah Summit in August 2023.”
Rostek told Asharq Al-Awsat that the year 2023 witnessed the entry of a number of Polish firms into the Saudi market. He pointed to the presence of Polish companies Comarch and Asseco, which specialize in IT solutions, in addition to other companies operating in the food, cosmetics and fashion industries.
He added that on June 4, 2024, direct flights were launched between Riyadh and Warsaw, operated by LOT Polish Airlines.
“We see a mutual understanding with Saudi Arabia, to develop our relationship economically, socially and politically,” he said, adding: “With the newly approved series of EU visas for Saudis, and the possibility of obtaining 5-year Schengen visas, in addition to Saudi e-visas, travel between the Kingdom and Europe has become easier than ever before.”

 

 



Egypt’s Sovereign Wealth Fund CEO Resigns

A farmer carries a box of mangoes in Ismailia, Egypt (Reuters)
A farmer carries a box of mangoes in Ismailia, Egypt (Reuters)
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Egypt’s Sovereign Wealth Fund CEO Resigns

A farmer carries a box of mangoes in Ismailia, Egypt (Reuters)
A farmer carries a box of mangoes in Ismailia, Egypt (Reuters)

The head of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE), Ayman Soliman, has resigned, informed Egyptian sources revealed on Thursday.
They said Soliman resigned last June, around the time of the July ministerial shuffle, with his final working day set for the end of August.
A bill was already sent to the Egyptian House of Representatives to discuss transferring the Fund’s affiliation to the Prime Minister's Office.
In February 2019, Egypt formed the sovereign wealth fund to take control of some of the government's most promising assets in industries such as power and real estate, to bring in private investors to develop them.
Soliman was appointed as head of the fund in 2019 for an initial three-year term that was subsequently extended.
His resignation had been anticipated, with one government source saying the country's political leadership wanted to introduce fresh faces into key positions as part of a broader reshuffle, according to Reuters.
As of July, the Fund oversees approximately $12 billion in assets. It has attained the 48th position in the top 100 largest sovereign funds by total assets.
TSFE currently runs and operates five sub-funds: Infrastructure and Utilities Sub-Fund, Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals Sub-Fund, Tourism, Real Estate and Antiquities Sub-Fund, Financial Services and Fintech Sub-Fund, and Asset Management and Restructuring Sub-Fund.

Separately, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) announced on Thursday that Egypt’s unemployment rate fell to 6.5% in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024, nearly a 0.2% decrease compared to Q1.
In May, government data showed that during Q1 of 2024, the labor force was estimated to consist of 31.397 million individuals, reflecting a 1.0% increase from the previous quarter's 31.101 million individuals. Of this total, 13.758 million individuals were part of the urban labor force, while 17.639 million individuals were part of the rural labor force.