I wish to extend a warm welcome to all readers visiting the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Malta in Warsaw.

Diplomatic relations between Malta and Poland were established on the 23rd October 1971. Since then, bilateral relations grew stronger, year after year, as clearly demonstrated by the ever increasing list of official visits and exchanges taking place between the two countries, at the highest level of government, particularly following the accession of both countries to the European Union in 2004 and to Schengen in 2008.

The development of these bilateral relations led to several important visits, including, inter alia, a State Visit to Poland by H.E. Professor Guido de Marco, President of the Republic of Malta and a State Visit to Malta by H.E. Mr. Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, both in 2004.

In June 2014, the President of the Republic of Malta, H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca paid an official visit to Poland on the occasion of the celebrations marking the 25th Anniversary of Polish Freedom in Warsaw. In January 2015, H.E. The President of the Republic once again was invited to Poland to participate in the ceremony marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Other important visits including that by the Prime Minister of Poland, Mr. Donald Tusk to Malta in October 2009 as well as the visit of the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr. Lawrence Gonzi to Poland, in April 2011. During this latter visit, Prime Minister Gonzi inaugurated the Embassy of the Republic of Malta to the Republic of Poland, in Warsaw.

Since then, the two countries engaged in further strengthening political consultations at all levels of government, including through visits at Foreign Ministers’ level, at the level of Speaker of the House of Representatives, other Ministerial levels and Senior Officials.

There exists ample scope for Poland and Malta to explore and develop ways to promote ties at the economic and cultural levels, given the natural complementarity which the two countries enjoy. History has it that both countries share the same colours – red and white – in their respective national flags. Needless to say, cultural ties go way beyond this. In 2007, a Maltese-Polish Friendship Society was set up with a view to foster a people-to-people approach, while, in the meantime, twinning agreements were signed between Gzira and Walbrzych; Marsaskala and Chojna; Sliema and Bialystok. During the last few years, the Embassy has been instrumental in organising a number of cultural events, seeking in so doing, to promote Maltese culture and the arts in the main cities and localities in Poland, thereby ensuring that the cultural connections existing between the two peoples are deepened further.

Economic relations between the two countries have strengthened considerably, with statistics indicating both an impressive expansion of trade and commerce taking place as well as clear promise for the future. Tourism traffic between the two countries has increased significantly, particularly following the recently-introduced air travel connections between Malta and Poland’s main airports in Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Katowice and Krakow.

I encourage all readers to keep in touch with the Embassy of Malta in Warsaw and to communicate with us should you require any information or assistance which we would be delighted to extend.