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The Istana
Speeches

Transcript of Speech by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the State Banquet in honour of Polish President Andrzej Duda on 12 June 2025 at Goodwood Park Hotel

12 June 2025

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Your Excellency President Andrzej Duda

Her Excellency Mrs Agata Kornhauser-Duda

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dobry wieczór.

  1.     My wife and I are delighted to welcome President Duda, Mrs Kornhauser-Duda, and your delegation to Singapore. This is the second time that Singapore has had the pleasure of hosting a Polish President, and it has been over two decades since.

Longstanding Relations

  1.     The diplomatic relations between Singapore and Poland go back to the late 1960s. But our connections can in fact be traced much further back. In 1883, the Polish-born mariner and writer Joseph Conrad first set foot in Singapore. He spent three extended stints on this island. Conrad is best known around the world for Heart of Darkness, his book set in the African continent, but he also wrote about Singapore and its diverse mix of peoples in several of his novels. Today, a plaque outside the Fullerton Hotel commemorates Conrad’s time in Singapore.

  2.     There are other examples of our early links with the Poles and Polish commerce. The “Bells of Happiness” at Mount Faber, which visitors ring for good fortune, were in fact from Poland’s legendary, tall ships, Dar Pomorza and Dar Młodzieży. They were gifts from Poland, symbolising our shared maritime heritage and friendship.

  3.     And even before we established diplomatic ties, our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew visited Warsaw in 1966 and met then-Polish Prime Minister Józef Cyrankiewicz. It was to set the stage for more interactions, in areas such as urban planning.  

  4.     What few know is that Polish architect Krystyn Olszewski was the chief designer of Singapore’s first land use plan in 1971. Several of the plan’s proposals have left an indelible mark on Singapore’s landscape – such as the development of new townships around a central water catchment area, and the eventual move of our international airport to Changi.

Trade and Economy

  1.     During former President Tony Tan’s State Visit to Poland in 2017, President Duda said that there was “huge potential lying dormant in the cooperation of the two countries”.  We are happy to see that both sides are now tapping into that potential. This is most evident in our economic cooperation.

  2.     Our bilateral trade in both goods and services has grown by almost 50% since 2019 when the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) came into force. But there is much more we can do to capitalise on each other’s roles as hubs within our regions.

  3.     Poland is strategically located between Western and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Balkans. It has made your country one of Europe’s most dynamic logistics hubs. Equally, a combination of brain power, hard work and entrepreneurship, and EU membership, has made Poland one of fastest growing economies over the last quarter century.

  4.     Singapore companies are starting to recognise this potential. To give a major example, PSA International made a landmark investment in DCT Gdańsk, also known as the Baltic Hub, in 2019. It is the largest container terminal in Poland and the Baltic Sea region, and was PSA International’s first investment in Eastern Europe.

  5.    Polish companies here are using Singapore as a springboard to the broader Asia-Pacific region. We welcome them to explore opportunities in Singapore in areas like logistics, advanced manufacturing, and offshore wind.

Collaboration in Food

  1.   Singapore and Poland have also extended our collaboration into food exports. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has approved Poland as a source of beef, poultry, and eggs for Singapore. I am heartened to see more Polish food products – from staples like eggs to even caviar – appearing on our shelves. This is a business opportunity for Polish food producers, but it also allows Singapore to diversify our food supplies and enjoy a taste of Poland. 

People-to-People Ties

  1.     Our relations are also anchored by strong people-to-people ties.  For instance, three universities in Singapore – NUS, NTU, and SMU – have signed MOUs with six Polish institutions for student exchanges.

President Duda, Mrs Kornhauser-Duda,

  1.       There is a Polish saying that goes, “ziarnko do ziarnka, a zbierze się miarka” – “grain by grain, the measure will be filled”. The point is that step by step, we will build something meaningful. This epitomises our relationship today. Your visit underlines our commitment to set higher ambitions for our partnership now and into the future.

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

  1.       May I now invite you to rise and join me and my wife in a toast:

i.       To the good health and success of President Andrzej Duda and Mrs Kornhauser-Duda;
ii.       To the continued peace and prosperity of Poland; and

iii.       To the enduring friendship and cooperation between our countries.

Sto Lat! Thank you.

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