The partnership between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Poland is a salient model of strategic cooperation in energy and sustainable development. The energy sector plays a pivotal role in strengthening the ties between the two countries, by virtue of the productive cooperation that constitutes a core pillar of sharing economic and strategic benefits, thus fostering Polands energy security and undergirding Qatars standing as one of the largest exporters of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in the world and opening new prospects for sustainable partnership and mutual development. In this context, comes the visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the Republic of Poland, a country where vibrant growth abounds in the Central Europe. This high-level visit earns a significant momentum because the bilateral relationship between the two friendly countries is rock-solid, with Doha and Warsaw constituting a successful model in trade alliances. The Qatar-Poland energy cooperation is expected to underpi n the base of shared interests and open new prospects for cooperation and coordination, with Doha positioning itself as a vital source of energy today, making it a critical strategic partner for Warsaw in the Polands quest for economic boom and development, specially that the State of Qatar supplies Poland with 30% of gas imports, a significant contribution that bolsters Qatars standing as an important partner for Poland, as long as the latter aspires to be an energy hub in the Eastern Europe. Noteworthy, 2009 was a turning point in the Qatar-Poland energy cooperation, culminated in the signing of a long-term agreement under which Warsaw would import roughly 1.3 billion cubic meters of Qatars LNG annually. These supplies were delivered to the Polish new floating LNG receiving terminal which became operational in 2014, specifically for this purpose. The Qatar-Poland cooperation has evolved further beyond the mere gas importation, as 2016 marked a milestone in the trade ties between the two nations, along wit h the substantial flow of Qatars gas shipments to Poland. And deliveries were commenced at Swinoujscie LNG Terminal after it had been inaugurated on the Baltic Sea. The terminal received approximately 126 LNG shipments, underscoring the steady growth of energy cooperation between the two nations. Additionally, the energy cooperation went far beyond, with QatarEnergy announcing a deal to increase the LNG deliveries to the Polish Oil and Gas Company (POGC) to reach 2 million tons annually. The deal went into effect in early 2018, as declared by the company during that time and would continue until June 2034. The QatarEnergy LNG S (3) embodies the upshot of this cooperation. It is a joint venture between QatarEnergy, ConocoPhillips and Mitsui and Co., and provides LNG supplies to Poland which imports one-third of its needs from Qatars LNG. Qatar and Poland are moving full steam ahead with their energy cooperation that is constantly thriving, as they strive to reinforce their partnership, achieve the shared benefit and stabilize the global energy markets. The partnership demonstrates a joint strategic vision that aims to achieve energy security and sustainable development, making this partnership an example of international cooperation in energy. Speaking to Qatar News Agency , economist Fawaz Al Hajri underscored the Qatar-Poland relationship, in terms of trade, investment and policy, highlighting that the visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to Warsaw will strengthen these historic bilateral relations, spanning many years of superb economic partnership and setting the groundwork for exploring cooperation in economy, investment and tourism and pushing them to broader horizons. Al Hajri pointed out that the Republic of Poland shares outstanding economic partnership with the State of Qatar that encompasses energy, tourism, education, health, IT, hotel industry, electricity generation, construction, agriculture, solar energy, and a wide diversity of other fields. He asserted that Poland is one of significant markets of Qatars gas and imports one-third of its needs from Qatar, especially after the pact that was signed in 2017, which stipulated the reception of Qatars LNG at the Polish Swinoujscie LNG Terminal. He noted the role of the Polish investments and firms operating in multiple fields in the Qatari market, affirming that the amount of trade exchange between Qatar and Poland reached roughly $852.4 million in 2019, with the Qatari exports to Poland reaching $750.1 million in the same year. The exports primarily comprise LNG. Moreover, the Polish exports to Qatar reached $102.3 million and included mechanical and electrical devices, along with health and Agro products. ?Speaking to QNA, the economic analyst and expert Dr. Abdullah Al Khater affirmed the foremost role Qatar plays in the global economy and securing energy sources for the entire world and Europe in particular. He highlighted the eminent role Qatar plays in boosting global security and peace. Dr. Al Khater elucidated the significanc e of the European partnership with Qatar pertaining to energy and clean energy, strategic investments, promoting this partnership to diplomatic and political role, in addition to the importance of this partnership for the Qatari economy, in pursuit of diversifying exports and geographical locations. Poland is an important milestone for the Qatari gas, partnerships, and investments, Dr. Al Khater added. Regarding the Qatar-Poland partnership, the expert and financial and economic analyst and Vice Dean of Business School for Academic and Quality Assurance at the Jordanian Al-Albayt University Prof. Omar Gharaibeh told QNA that the Qatari gas imports to Poland have strengthened the Qatar-Poland economic and political relations. He added that these ties strike a strategic balance and help stabilize energy supplies, in addition to ensuring economic growth between the two countries and diversifying Poland's energy sources. Prof. Gharaibeh added that the ironclad Gatar-Poland relationship plays a vital role in pro moting the political and diplomatic relations, especially that 30% of Poland's LNG imports come from Qatar, a significant contribution that has numerous indications at the economic and geopolitical levels. He outlined that obtaining stable supplies by Poland virtually reinforces energy security and bilateral relationship between the two countries, in addition to diversifying Poland's energy sources. This cooperation, Prof. Gharaibeh highlighted, would expand to encompass investment, trade, and technical cooperation, pointing out that the State of Qatar is one of the largest producers of natural gas in the world, while Poland has one of the largest economies in the Eastern Europe with a growing ambition to be an energy hub with diverse gas sources. Subsequently, he said, there is an opportunity to surge Qatar's natural gas exports to Poland to meet the increasing demand for clean energy in long-term new contracts, thus setting the groundwork for advancing renewable energy projects, such as solar and wind energ y systems to help Poland diversify its energy sources and achieve the sustainability goals. Prof. Gharaibeh pointed out that this partnership opens cooperation prospects and helps share expertise in a wide diversity of energy sectors, such as education through leveraging academic and research cooperation, exchange of students, researchers, expertise, technology, organizing joint workshops to explore innovative solutions for energy efficiency optimization and reducing carbon emissions. He stated that this cooperation broadens domestic partnerships and shared investments through creating new energy plants and modernizing the infrastructure related to storage and transportation technologies and investing in foreign ventures. Prof. Gharaibeh concluded that the Qatar-Poland partnership enhances cooperation in energy sector, as well as economic, trade and investment fields and increases agreements in interoperability trade, since stable energy supplies increase growth rates, and virtually support the industrial sec tor in the two countries, something that will positively be reflected on the industrial sector as cost-effectively as possible and increase the production efficiency. He affirmed that the cooperation could extend to other sectors that would diversify the exports and imports of other products, namely Agro products and transformational industries. Source: Qatar News Agency
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