Andrzej Duda is set to discuss food security amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ways to counter Russian propaganda, among other issues, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Jakub Kumoch, the president’s top foreign-policy aide, said that Duda’s meetings in Western Africa would explore ways to counteract “Russian food blackmail and Russian propaganda.”
Later this month, the Polish head of state will attend the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“The president intends to listen closely to the African perspective before speaking at the UN General Assembly,” Kumoch told PAP.
Russian 'food blackmail', imperialism
He added: “We’ll be discussing ways to counteract the Russian food blackmail, but we also intend to make it clear how our region of Europe, which has never been a coloniser, perceives Russian imperialism, which is following the worst tradition of conquering and colonising the lands of others.”
The presidential aide also noted: “Poland has declared from the start that it is ready to support Ukrainian food exports, in order to help the hardest-hit countries.”
Economic cooperation
Kumoch added that the Polish president would discuss economic cooperation with African countries, including the issue of raw materials offered by Nigeria and Senegal.
Noting that the trip had been planned for some time, the presidential aide stressed that “Poland is a big country and it is capable of pursuing a policy that extends far beyond our neighbourhood.”
“Nigeria, the Ivory Coast and Senegal are the key countries of Western Africa, they play a big political role in the region,” the official told the PAP news agency.
Friday is day 191 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, polskieradio24.pl, polskatimes.pl