- WIADOMOŚCI
Swedish royal couple in Poland: Record business delegation
At the invitation of President Karol Nawrocki, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden will pay a visit to Poland from March 10 to 12. The royal couple will be accompanied by the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, civil defense, and culture. The delegation will also include representatives from industry, academia, finance, and trade.
Photo. Tornbjörn F Gustaffson-Försvarsmakten
The Swedish royal couple will visit Warsaw and Gdańsk. In Gdynia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz will visit the 3rd Ship Flotilla in connection with the visit of HMS Uppland, an A19 (Gotland-class) submarine.
Unusual visit
Previous royal visits to Poland took place in 2011 and 1993. “It is rather unusual for a royal couple to visit the same country three times – this demonstrates the special importance of relations with Poland,” emphasized Swedish Ambassador Martina Quick during a media briefing.
The Swedish government will be represented by Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister of Defence Pål Jonson, Minister for Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand, and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Diana Janse. The planned size of the accompanying business delegation is also record-breaking – 65 entities (usually no more than 30–40). These will include companies from the energy, aerospace, and defense sectors. Conferences on security in the Baltic Sea region are planned, as well as a civil defense forum focusing on total defense, critical infrastructure, and societal resilience. The royal couple, along with the ministers of foreign affairs and culture, will review bilingual educational projects for Ukrainian children in Poland. Members of the delegation will visit Orlen and WB Group, and several memoranda of understanding are expected to be signed.
Industries cooperation
Poland operates two Saab 340 AEW early warning aircraft and has selected the Swedish offer in the Orka submarine program—the chosen vessel will be the A26, with an A17-class submarine serving as an interim solution. The Polish Armed Forces use Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles produced by Saab, which also supplies RBS15 anti-ship missiles and Double Eagle mine countermeasure drones. Sweden, in turn, purchases Polish Piorun man-portable air-defense systems. The sale of submarines to Poland is expected to be accompanied by an order for Polish-built rescue vessels.
