Professor Adam Burakowski is the Resident Ambassador of Poland to India and accredited to six South Asian countries including Nepal.
Professor Adam Burakowski is Resident Ambassador of Poland to India and accredited to six countries namely Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Maldives. He is a Polish diplomat, political scientist and historian. He is the professor of the Institute of Political Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences. From 2006 to 2017 he worked for the national broadcaster Polskie Radio holding various positions related to the international affairs. He was a Polish representative to the European Broadcasting Union. Nepalkhabar caught up with Ambassador Prof. Adam Burakowski for his views on Nepal-Poland relations and Poland’s South Asia policy. Excerpts:
Professor Burakowski, you have been the Ambassador to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Afghanistan. How would you define Poland’s South Asia policy?
South Asia is a part of the world that is progressing economically. Furthermore, it is also, to a large extent, democratic. That is why it is a natural partner for Poland; as well as for whole European Union, of which Poland is a proud member. We expand our relations, not only economically but also politically. We welcome the support that Nepal is giving to the United Nations for condemning the Russian aggression against Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine, we stand with democratic nations, we stand against despotism, and we support democracy. We are doing everything because the war should be won by Ukraine, which will happen, and we are supporting Ukraine in all possible ways. Moreover, South Asia is facing the challenges we all face today because of the Russian invasion, which means economic problems, high inflation, and the problem with food security and energy security. We consider South Asian countries, including Nepal, as a natural ally, for our efforts to restore world order and stability, both in the political and economic sense.
The Diplomatic relations between Nepal and Poland were established in 1959. How do you look at seven decades of Nepal-Poland ties?
Poland is a big friend of Nepal, and Polish highly appreciate Nepali people. Moreover, we appreciate the spirit of freedom that we see in Nepal. Our relationship has always been amicable, and the people-to-people relations are also amicable, and so is our friendship for decades. There are many people in Poland, who love Nepal, who come to Nepal quite often. We also have a growing Nepali community in Poland. We like them very much and appreciate their contribution towards our society. We are also interested in Nepali culture and want to promote Polish culture here in Nepal.
How can Nepal and Poland enhance bilateral ties in the coming future? What are the areas for possible cooperation?
We should strengthen the economic cooperation, which has high potential, but there are some gaps to fill in and we hope it will improve. On both sides, we are promoting mountaineering and the deep, profound touristic experience that Polish have here in Nepal. We know that from the people of Poland who are coming to Nepal. They return richer in terms of life’s experience. So, we appreciate very much the friendship that we have with Nepal.
Nepal has remained a favored place of destination for Polish travelers. Potentials for promoting Nepal and Poland among tourists in each other are high. Many Polish mountaineering teams have traveled to Nepal to climb Himalayan peaks. What steps both the countries can take to enhance the tourism potentials?
This year, we celebrate Wanda Rutkiewicz, the first European woman and the first Polish to climb Mount Everest. She scaled it on October 16, 1978, the exact day when Cardinal Wojtyła was elected as Pope John Paul II. She reached that peak and became a role model for many women in Poland. She also climbed many other mountains. Unfortunately, she perished in Kanchenjunga Mountain just 30 years ago. And that is why we celebrate her year today (October 17, 2022). Wanda Rutkiewicz is becoming more and more popular in Polish society. Furthermore, people of this kind, the Legend of Polish, become role models for new generations of Poland. They show us how to conquer the highest peaks of the world and how to struggle with our weaknesses. So, Wanda Rutkiewicz famously said, ‘Everyone has their own Mount Everest to climb’.
Poland is a beautiful country with rich history and culture and attracts huge tourists around the world. How attractive is Poland for students to have higher education? Is there any scholarship for them to study there?
We are attracting more and more students from around the world, including South Asia and Nepal. Our universities offer English language courses, and the price is quite affordable. Besides, we offer many scholarships coordinated by the Polish National Agency of Academic Exchange in Poland. If you are interested, please look at the website https://nawa.gov.pl/en/nawa. Furthermore, we promote friendship between students, and we would like to have more Polish students in Nepali universities as well.
There have been very few high-level visits from both the sides. From Nepali side, the then Deputy Prime Minister Ishwor Pokharel visited in 2018 while from the Polish side, it was the then Deputy Minister of Economy of Poland H.E. Wojeich Jan Katner who visited Nepal in 1999. When can we expect another high-level visit?
Because of the global pandemic, all the national and international relations suffered for approximately two years. However, now we are trying to revive it, and we are trying to make it with smaller steps. I think there should be some visits of the middle level and then the higher as we see that there is a gap between these high-level visits. We want to fill in this gap as soon as possible.
Watch Video:
Nepal has huge hydropower potential and at the same time there is huge demand for Nepal’s clean energy in India and Bangladesh. Does Poland have any interest in investing in this sector of Nepal?
We are also experienced in green technology, waste management, waste to energy and all the projects of this kind. We are trying to establish cooperation and discussing these possibilities with Nepal as well as with South Asian countries in this field. So, we have a broad area of possible cooperation.
The Office of the Polish Trade Representative was opened in Kathmandu in 1966, which was closed after the establishment of the residential Polish Embassy in Kathmandu in 1974. Later, it was shut down. What was the reason behind it? When can we see Polish Embassy in Kathmandu?
We have a very active and outstanding honorary Consul General in Kathmandu, Lokmanya Golchha. His contribution to Polish-Nepali relations is enormous in all possible terms. He helps us in all possible cases. Last was the Covid-19 evacuation from Nepal. However, before that, Lokmanya Golchha had to build good relations and understanding between our business communities. At this moment, we are not planning to open the embassy in Kathmandu. This is operated from New Delhi. But in the future, once we have more in-depth cooperation, we might think of it.
