Scope for regional hubs Poland and Singapore to boost ties: President Tharman

More can be done to explore business opportunities between the nations, he says

- Anjali Raguraman

Poland and Singapore are hubs in their respective regions, and more can be done to explore business opportunities between them, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on June 12.

He was speaking at a state banquet held in honour of Polish President Andrzej Duda and his wife, First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, at Goodwood Park Hotel. Mr Duda is in Singapore on a three-day state visit from June 11 to 13. Poland is Singapore's 13th largest trading partner in the European Union. In 2024, total bilateral trade in goods stood at $1.7 billion. Bilateral trade in both goods and services has grown by almost 50 per cent since 2019, off the back of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

"There is much more we can do to capitalise on each other's roles as hubs within our respective regions," Mr Tharman said.

He noted Poland's position as one of Europe's most dynamic logistics hubs, given its strategic location between Western and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the Balkans.

"Equally, a combination of brain power, hard work and entrepreneurship has made Poland one of the fastest-growing economies over the last quarter-century," he said, adding that Singapore companies are starting to recognise this potential.