Norway–Poland relations

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Norwegian–Polish relations
Map indicating locations of Norway and Poland

Norway
Poland

Norway–Poland relations are the

OSCE, United Nations and the World Trade Organization
.

History

Eric III of Norway in Darłowo
, Poland

The first contact between Norway and Poland took place in the

Cnut the Great would continue to rule Norway and the North Sea Empire. In the medieval period, Poland and Norway entered into alliances several times, incl. in 1315[4][3] and 1419.[5] From 1389 to 1442, Eric of Pomerania of the House of Griffin was King of Norway as Eric III, and his tomb is located in his birth town of Darłowo in Poland. During the Hanseatic League, trade and cultural contacts developed between Polish cities on the Baltic Sea, mainly Gdańsk; and Bergen in Norway, where Polish ships reached with grain.[3]

In the 17th century, during the

Dano-Swedish War.[3] By the late 18th century, the third and final partition of Poland had occurred and Poland lost its independence for the next 123 years. Polish engineer and insurgent Aleksander Waligórski [pl], who fled partitioned Poland after the unsuccessful November Uprising, co-developed Norway's first railroad and co-authored its first modern road map of Norway.[6]

Soldiers from the Polish Independent Highland Brigade fighting during the Battles of Narvik, Norway; 1940.

In 1918, after World War I, Poland regained its independence, and both nations established diplomatic relations in 1919.[3] However, political and governmental contacts were few in the interwar period, and economic cooperation and trade remained low. In 1931 Poland signed the Svalbard Treaty, which recognizes the sovereignty of Norway over the archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean, and grants signatories equal rights to engage in commercial activities and scientific research on the archipelago.[7]

During World War II, both countries were invaded by Germany. The Polish Independent Highland Brigade fought for Norway in the Battles of Narvik against German soldiers.[8] During the war, both countries maintained close contacts as both had governments-in-exile based in London. Approximately 20,000 Poles were taken by the Germans from occupied Poland for forced labor in Norway, while some Norwegian prisoners of war were sent to German POW camps operated in occupied Poland (most notably Oflag XXI-C). Several Poles and Norwegians were among the victims of the Stalag Luft III murders, perpetrated by Germany in 1944. After liberation, Norway became a second home for some of the former Polish forced laborers.[9] Shortly after the end of World War II, Poland and Norway resumed diplomatic relations in 1945. In 1974, Norway's Prime Minister Trygve Bratteli paid an official visit to Poland.[3]

During the Polish

Harald V of Norway to Poland in 1993 and the President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, to Norway in March 1995; were an expression of the will of both countries to give their mutual relations the highest rank.[10]

Modern relations

Marshal of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński lays a wreath at a grave of Poles killed by the Germans in Norway during World War II (2017)

Since Poland's accession to NATO in March 1999, Polish-Norwegian relations have become allied and bilateral political and military cooperation have strengthened between both nations.[11] In 2012, King Harald V of Norway paid a second visit to Poland[12] and in 2016, Polish President Andrzej Duda paid a state visit to Norway.[1] Norway and Poland are close NATO allies, and their militaries cooperate as part of the Multinational Corps Northeast, headquartered in Szczecin, Poland.

Poland is one of Norway's ten main trading partners. In 2019, Poland was the seventh largest source of imports and the tenth largest export destination for Norway.[13]

The Baltic Pipe, connecting Norway via Denmark to Poland, was commissioned in September 2022. Its purpose is to ensure natural gas supplies from Norway to Poland.

Several Polish

polar stations are located in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard
.

Bilateral agreements

Both nations have signed a few agreements such a trade and shipping agreement (1926); conciliation and arbitration treaty (1929); tariff arrangement (1935); customs agreement (1937); trade and payment agreement (1946) and a trade agreement (1964).[9] With Norway being a member of the European Free Trade Association and Poland being a member of the European Union; most bilateral relations between both nations are conducted through those two organizations.

Resident diplomatic missions

  • Building hosting the Embassy of Norway in Warsaw
    Building hosting the Embassy of Norway in Warsaw
  • Embassy of Poland in Oslo
    Embassy of Poland in Oslo

Honorary consulates

There are honorary consulates of Norway in Gdynia, Kraków, Szczecin and Wrocław,[16] and honorary consulates of Poland in Ålesund, Stavanger and Trondheim.[17]

  • Building hosting the Honorary Consulate of Norway in Wrocław
    Building hosting the Honorary Consulate of Norway in Wrocław

See also

References

  1. ^ a b State Visit from Poland
  2. ^ Slavs competed with the Vikings on these boats
  3. ^ a b c d e f Stosunki Polsko-Norweskie (in Polish)
  4. ^ "Wydarzenia z kalendarza historycznego: 27 czerwca 1315". chronologia.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  5. ISBN 978-90-04-15579-4
    .
  6. ^ "Generał Waligórski - inżynier i żołnierz". Mówią Wieki (in Polish). 6 August 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. ^ Oświadczenie Rządowe z dnia 3 września 1931 r. w sprawie przystąpienia Polski do traktatu dotyczącego Spitsbergu, podpisanego w Paryżu dnia 9 lutego 1920 r., Dz. U. z 1931 r. Nr 97, poz. 747
  8. ^ Polish Independent Highland Brigade Sailing to Narvik
  9. ^ a b Relations between Poland and Norway (in Polish)
  10. ^ "CHRONICLE (Published 1995)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-04-18.
  11. ^ Polish-Norwegian cooperation
  12. ^ Norwegian Royal couple visits Krakow
  13. ^ "Norway trade balance, exports and imports by country and region 2019". World Integrated Trade Solution. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  14. ^ Embassy of Norway in Warsaw
  15. ^ Embassy of Poland in Oslo
  16. ^ "Om ambassaden" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Konsulaty honorowe". Portal Gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 9 July 2022.
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