Joint Communique Issued by the Governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Poland at the end of the Official visit of H.E. Prime Minister Donald Tusk to Nigeria from 10 – 12 April, 2013.

[FMINigeria]

                        1.    At the invitation of H.E. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Mr. Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland paid an official visit to Nigeria from 10th-12th April 2012.

2.    During the visit, the two leaders held talks on promoting and further strengthening the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Poland, and provided guidance and direction at the Bilateral Talks held to further enhance their ties of friendship.  They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

3.    The leaders noted the importance of exchanging visits at the highest levels, and commended the visit to Poland by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001. They also welcomed the visit by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

POLITICAL CO-OPERATION

4.    The two leaders underscored the importance of holding frequent political consultations between their Foreign Ministers, and in that connection welcomed the signing of the Protocol on Political Consultations in 2012. They also commended the establishment of a Mechanism for Strategic Dialogue through the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed during the Prime Minister's visit. They noted the significant roles played by each country in their respective regional organizations, notably Poland in the European Union, and Nigeria in the ECOWAS and African Union. They pledged to work through these institutions to support the United Nations in the discharge of its mandate as provided for in the Charter. In that regard, they lauded Nigeria's exemplary role in contributing to the peace keeping efforts of the United Nations.

5.    Both leaders welcomed the ongoing efforts aimed at reforming the United Nations in order to equip it better to meet the current challenges in the maintenance of international peace and security.  In this regard, they called for the urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council to make it more democratic and reflective of the changes in the international architecture since 1946.  They agreed to support Nigeria's candidature for election as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the period 2014-2015

GUINEA-BISSAU AND MALI

6.    The two leaders discussed the situation in Guinea-Bissau, Mali and the Sahel. They commended Nigeria's role within ECOWAS in helping to stabilize the fragile situation in Guinea-Bissau, and in the pursuit of the noble objectives of dislodging the terrorist groups from northern Mali and to restore the territorial integrity of the country. In that regard, they commended the efforts of the international community through the African Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA).

ECONOMIC, TRADE, AND INVESTMENT COOPERATION

7.    Both leaders noted the importance of economic and trade cooperation in their bilateral relations and urged their respective Ministers of Trade and Investment, Commerce, and Industry to speed-up their efforts to conclude the on-going negotiations of the Trade and Investment Promotion Agreement for them to be signed as soon as possible.

SOCIAL AND CULTURE

8.    They also underscored the need to promote Educational and Cultural Exchange between the two countries.  In that regard, Nigerian exchange students may be offered places in Polish Universities to pursue courses in disciplines such as Medicine, Engineering, and the Sciences, while Polish students should be offered places in Nigerian Universities to pursue courses in African studies and related disciplines.

9.    The two leaders underlined their commitment to promote bilateral technical and capacity building, and cooperation in the fields of agriculture and allied industries, trade and investment, culture and tourism, infrastructure development and public works, defence and combating terrorism.

CLOSING

10. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the achievements of the visit by H. E. Mr. Donald Tusk. The Prime Minister thanked President Jonathan, the Government, and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for their warm hospitality.

Done in Abuja, this 11th day of April, 2013

Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria