The event, organised by the Polish Chamber of Commerce, took place on 17 February at the Olympic Center in Warsaw. The Podlaskie Voivodeship, represented by its Deputy Marshall Marek Olbryś, co-organised the seventh edition of the event. It was a unique opportunity to present Podlaskie’s economic offer to leading Polish entrepreneurs, politicians and diplomats who gathered in Warsaw to talk about forecasts and economic opportunities for regions, Poland, Europe and the world.
Presentation of the region and its economic offer
Deputy Marshal Marek Olbryś noted that the Diplomatic Opening of the Year is an ideal place to present Podlaskie, and especially the vision for the region’s development of logistics and transport, for which he is personally responsible.
– Infrastructure development is one of the priorities of our region. Over the last decade, Podlaskie has gone thorough a revolution in transport and road development. We have three expressways, we will have five. We are building a high-speed railway from Warsaw to the national border. This progression is rapid and will safeguard the needs of our residents , he stressed. – In addition, it will facilitate contact not only with other regions, but also with other countries.
Deputy Marshal Olbryś stressed that infrastructural development is primarily the pathway to full development on many levels.
– Our biggest economic partner today is Germany, but through the New Silk Road we also aspire to non-European contacts. But a road is not just rails, not just asphalt, but above all the possibility of understanding. I think that it is dialogue and talking to each other that will lead to a better tomorrow for our region and our country.
The official part of the event was fallowed up with a the networking session – a forum for exchanging experience and integrating for Polish business and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
The participants of Thursday’s event could get acquainted with Podlaskie’s economic offer at a stand manned by staff of the Investors Assistance and Business Promotion Bureau of the Marshal’s Office, Director Mariusz Dąbrowski, Karolina Cruz Rodriguez and Agnieszka Wirkowska-Godlewska. Regional products were promoted by Grzegorz Sienkiewicz, managing director of Four Starlings Soapmakers, which produces cosmetics based on natural raw materials.
International cooperation
The Diplomatic Opening of the Year is also a space for international cooperation. Deputy Marshal Marek Olbryś and Director Mariusz Dąbrowski held talks with diplomats revolving around upcoming economic promotion events.
– Lim Hoon-min – Ambassador of Korea and Sowon Jeon – Second Secretary of the Korean Embassy met with us regarding the Podlaskie Economic Forum and the Railway Silk Road. We spoke to Lucie Stepanyan – 1st Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy about the economic mission to Paris this April. We were met by Nicolas Neve – Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Belgian Embassy for the May economic mission to Brussels. Regarding the exchange of experience and knowledge on the Agricultural Valley 4.0 project, we talked to Sarah-Ann Madi – Counsellor and Head of the Commercial Department of the Israeli Embassy – Mariusz Dąbrowski listed.
The guests of Diplomatic Opening of the Year 2022 included: Izabela Antos – Undersecretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Piotr Wawrzyk – Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jacek Żalek – Secretary of State in the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy, Piotr Pyzik – Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of State Assets, representatives of the diplomatic corps, public administration, entrepreneurs and chambers of industry and commerce and bilateral chambers – also from the Podlaskie Voivodeship.
The event was organised by the Polish Chamber of Commerce, which has been cooperating with the diplomatic corps for many years, helping to carry out activities related to economic promotion on foreign markets.
The Diplomatic Opening of the Year 2022 was held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Climate and Environment, and under the patronage of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.
