King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia begin visit to Poland

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden began their state visit to Poland on Tuesday. 

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have begun their three-day state visit to the Republic of Poland. The King and Queen of Sweden travelled to the Republic yesterday at the invitation of the President.

The purpose of the state visit is to reaffirm and develop the close bilateral ties between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Republic of Poland. Strengthening cooperation in the areas of security and defence policy, civil defence and support for Ukraine are all focal points of the visit, as well as developing close cooperation between the countries’ respective businesses. With growing investments throughout the Kingdom and around 100,000 Poles already working in Sweden today, a delegation of around 60 businesses and institutions accompanied the King and Queen on the state visit.

The King and Queen arrived in Warsaw aboard a Swedish Air Force jet and were met by various officials. Their Majesties then proceeded to the Presidential Palace.

At the Palace, the King and Queen of Sweden were received by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Karol Nawrocki, and his spouse, Mrs Marta Nawrocka. In the Palace’s Courtyard, the official welcoming ceremony saw the customary playing of the national anthems and an inspection of a Guard of Honour. The Presidential Couple then held a private meeting with the Swedish Royal Couple.

The day continued at the Sejm and Senate Complex (Kompleks budynków Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), also known simply as the Parliament, to meet with various officials. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia spoke with the Speaker of the Sejm, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, and the Speaker of the Senate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.

The King and Queen also attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Memorial Wall, within the Sejm and Senate Complex, which honours Parliamentarians who died during the Second World War.

The Speaker of the Senate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, hosted a luncheon for the King and Queen at the Palace on the Isle (Pałac Łazienkowski) in Warsaw’s Łazienki Park.

The President of the Republic and his spouse hosted a state banquet later that evening in honour of the King and Queen’s state visit to the Republic.

A statement from the Office of the President noted,

Polish–Swedish relations have had strategic status since 2011. At that time, in Warsaw, in the presence of The King of Sweden and the President of the Republic of Poland, a ‘Declaration on political cooperation between Poland and Sweden in areas of strategic importance’ was signed. The two countries cooperate mainly in the fields of security, civil defence, economy, energy, science and higher education, and culture. Poland and Sweden also actively participate in various formats of Baltic cooperation, involving both the Government level and local governments, research institutions and non–governmental organisations, which strengthens the multi–level nature of relations in the Baltic Sea region.

[President] Karol Nawrocki also announced that he seeks Sweden’s accession to the Bucharest Nine a format established to enhance cooperation aimed at strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. The objective is to safeguard it against Russia’s actions and ensure stability and security for Central and Eastern European states.