OFFICIAL
VISIT OF AMBASSADOR MASSOUD MAALOUF TO ZABRZE
7 MARCH 2007
On the 7th of March 2007, the Ambassador of Lebanon made an official visit to the City of Zabrze, in the Silesian region, at the invitation of the member of the Sejm Mr. Tadeusz Wita and the President of the city Ms. Małgorzata Mańka-Szulik.
The program of the short stay of Ambassador Maalouf in Zabrze included meetings with Deputy Wita and with the City President Ms. Mańka-Szulik, a visit to the Philharmonic Orchestra of Zabrze, a visit to the impressive Cardiology Institute established 15 years ago by Professor Zbigniew Religa, as well as a guided tour of the company "Grupa Powen-Wafapomp SA which is already doing business with some countries of the Middle East.
The Ambassador also made a Conference in the City Hall on the relations between Lebanon and Poland with a focus on the prospects for strengthening the economic and trade bilateral relations and the potential for developing the tourist industry in both directions. Attending the conference were the President of the City as well as representatives of the local media and of the local business community. The conference was followed by a questions and answers session during which the Ambassador answered the many questions about developing bilateral trade relations and about the possibility of twinning Zabrze with a Lebanese city.
The Ambassador was very impressed by the hospitality of the Authorities and the people of Zabrze. In interviews with the media, he expressed his gratefulness for the warm welcome he has received and his strong belief that the prospects for developing economic ties between Lebanese businessmen and the business community of the City of Zabrze should be seriously explored. Visits of trade delegations in both ways is the best avenue for reaching tangible results, confirmed the Ambassador. He also assured the attendees that the Embassy of Lebanon in Warsaw is always ready to provide all relevant information about doing business with Lebanon.
On this visit, the Ambassador was accompanied by the Lebanese businessman residing in Poland Mr. John Kouyumdjian and Mr. Maciej Bohosiewicz, President of the Polish Ethnographical Society.
CONFERENCE
ON THE RELATIONS
BETWEEN LEBANON AND POLAND
BY AMBASSADOR MASSOUD MAALOUF
ZABRZE 7 MARCH 2007
It
is indeed a great honor for me to be here today in this historic city
of Zabrze, the heart of the mining industry in Poland, to talk to you
about the relations between Poland and Lebanon and the possibilities of
cooperation in the economic and trade fields between Silesia and Lebanon.
But let me first express my warm thanks to Mr. Tadeusz Wita, member of
the Sejm and to the President of the city of Zabrze for inviting me on
this occasion. Your presence today reflects an interest in Lebanon of
which I am greatly appreciative.
My presentation will be divided in three parts: In the first part, I will
give you an overview of Lebanon in general; the second part will deal
with the relations between Lebanon and Poland and in the last part I will
speak about the potential of economic relations between the Silesia region
and Lebanon.
I: overview of the History and Geography of Lebanon: Lebanon is a small country on the Eastern Mediterranean sea. Its area is 10.452 square kilometers, which is more or less equivalent to two thirds of the area of Mało-Polska. It is located at the meeting point of three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa and for centuries, it has been at the crossroads of a great number of civilizations. Although small in area, Lebanon is known for the diversity of its geography, landscape, culture and history. The population of Lebanon is about 3.750.000 inhabitants, with more than 12.000.000 of Lebanese origin living abroad.
Lebanon is an ancient country with 7,000 years of history. It has been known as the biblical "land of milk and honey" and its beauty and abundant resources have attracted conquerors and occupiers from earliest times, each leaving behind traces of their enriching civilizations.
The cedars of Lebanon are famous all over the world. They are mentioned in the Bible many times. They are now the symbol of Lebanon and the current Lebanese flag features a cedar in its center. Lebanon's name is mentioned 76 times in the bible.
The Versailles Treaty, which by the way created the Republic of Poland in 1918, had put Lebanon under a French mandate. Then Lebanon achieved its independence from France in 1943 and since that date, it has been a parliamentary republic, with a Parliament elected by citizens who are 21 years old and above. Women have had the right to vote in Lebanon since 1952. The 128 members of the Parliament who are elected for a period of four years elect themselves a President of the Republic whose term of service is six years non renewable.
In Lebanon, we have a total of 18 Moslem and Christian religious sects officially recognized by the constitution. Therefore there is a delicate balance of power whereby seats in the Parliament and the Cabinet as well as high-level posts of the administration are equally divided between Moslems and Christians. According to a National Pact adopted in 1943 on the eve of our independence, the President of the Republic is a Christian Maronite, the speaker of the Parliament is a Shiite Moslem and the Prime Minister is a Sunni Moslem. This confessional equilibrium prevails only in the public sector while the private sector is completely free of any religious power sharing.
Speaking of the religion, let me say between brackets that we have in Lebanon several catholic saints, two of them having been consecrated by Pope John Paul II.
It is worth noting that Lebanon is and has always been a free market economy. Private property has always been respected and protected. The per capita income is around US$ 6,500.00 and our economy is based mostly on the services sector, especially the very well known banking system, international trade and tourism.
I would also like to say that our country has made significant contributions to world civilization. Our forefathers the Phoenicians are very well known for developing navigational skills more than four thousand years ago. They also developed the alphabet and taught it to the peoples of the Mediterranean. They have discovered, thousands of years ago, the transparent glass and the scarlet color. During the Roman Empire, Beirut was home to the first school of law in the region where eminent rulers and scholars studied until that school was destroyed by an earthquake in the year 555.
However, our recent history has been marked by tragic events including a long and bloody civil war from 1975 to 1989, giving a rather negative image of Lebanon, which otherwise is a beautiful and attractive place for tourism and business, as it will be shown in the third part of my presentation, after I speak briefly about the relations between our two countries.
II: The relations between Poland and Lebanon: Lebanon has been known to Polish travelers and pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land since the Middle Ages. Stanislaw Koscialowski has published a book in French in 1953 in which he describes in detail how Polish princes, including Prince Mikolai Radziwill, traveled along the coast or through Mount Lebanon to participate in the Crusades. He also speaks about the visit of Juliusz Slowacki to Lebanon in 1837 and how the Polish poet stayed in the convent of Ghazir where today there is a Juliusz Slowacki Museum.
A Polish Jesuit, Father Maksymillani Ryllo was sent by the Vatican three times to Lebanon, and he established in Beirut in the year 1841 the "Collegium Asiaticum" that later became the Saint Joseph Jesuit University, the most prominent French university in the Middle East.
In 1860, a devastating civil war took place in Lebanon which was then occupied by the Ottomans. The agreement that was reached then by the European powers to put an end to this war stipulated that the governor of Mount Lebanon to be designated by the Ottomans should be a European Christian. One of the governors appointed in 1902 under the clauses of this agreement was Aleksander Stanislaw Czaykowski, a Polish who took the Turkish name of Muzaffar Pacha.
It is also worth mentioning that thousands of the Polish survivors of the Soviet deportation camps in 1942 and 1943 ended up in Lebanon after their liberation, and they were soon integrated into the Lebanese society. Thanks to them, there is today an active and integrated Polish community in Lebanon, which also includes hundreds of Polish women married to former Lebanese students who had studied in the numerous universities of Poland, and they all constitute an excellent bridge between the two countries.
Let me now say a few words about the present state of the relations between Poland and Lebanon. Official relations between the two governments started in 1933 with a "Consular Agency of the Polish Republic" in Beirut which became in 1944 the "Polish Delegation for Lebanon and Syria". In 1946, that Delegation became the Polish embassy in Beirut. Lebanon opened its resident embassy in Warsaw in 1994.
Since 1992, Poland has participated in the international peace keeping force known as UNIFIL that was created by a United Nations Security Council resolution following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon of March 1978. In the mid- Nineties, Polish General Stanislaw Wozniak was the President of the whole UNIFIL.
Last summer, Lebanon suffered another destructive Israeli aggression and the Security Council adopted another resolution. In one of its clauses, it was decided to increase the number of the UNIFIL troops and Poland accepted to add 300 troops to its already 200 strong contingent in South Lebanon. The additional troops will travel to Lebanon next month.
Following this latest Israeli aggression, Poland has sent to Lebanon many plane loads of humanitarian assistance, and has made a generous contribution in the meeting of Stockholm at the end of August to help in the early recovery program after the huge destruction caused by the Israeli air raids. Sponsored by the Polish Foreign Ministry, the Polish airline LOT company, the City of Lodz and the Salesian Fathers in Poland, 30 children from villages in South Lebanon affected by the war of last summer were invited to Poland where they spent two weeks visiting the country and trying to forget the trauma of the Israeli attacks. Lebanon will never forget this assistance given by Poland to our people during a time of crisis and need.
Another field of cooperation between Poland and Lebanon is Archeology. In fact, within the framework of an agreement signed by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and the University of Warsaw, the University provides assistance to Lebanon in excavating some archeological sites. Professor Tomasz Waliszewski leads a team of Polish scholars and students who have done very serious work in different sites in Lebanon in the last few years. The Lebanese Government recognized the achievements of Professor Waliszewski and bestowed upon him a high level decoration.
I would like also to mention that there is a Polish-Lebanese association in Poland, chaired by a former Polish ambassador to Lebanon and it includes Polish diplomats and personalities who have either worked in Lebanon or have some ties with our country. There is also a Polish-Lebanese Chamber of Commerce within the framework of a Polish-Arab Chamber of Commerce, as well as a Polarab Business Association which deals mostly with Lebanon.
But in spite of all these excellent relations that exist between our two countries in the political and cultural fields, the economic and trade exchanges are rather limited. What could be done to increase the level of trade between Poland and Lebanon in general and between Silesia and Lebanon in particular?
III: Prospects for future economic relations
In this last part of my presentation, I will focus on the three fields of economic relations where some work could be done and results could be seen: Tourism, Investments and Trade.
1) Tourism:I said in the beginning of my presentation that the Services sector constitutes the major contributor to the Lebanese economy. Within this sector, I can say that Tourism is the most important item.
In fact, Lebanon is known to be an attractive place, and since the end of the civil war in 1990, the Lebanese government and the private sector have been very active in reconstructing and rehabilitating the tourist infrastructure, including the hotels, restaurants, summer and winter resorts, etc… In Lebanon, tourism is very well developed and most types of tourism are available:
- Sightseeing Tourism: Lebanon is a beautiful country with high mountains covered with snow most of the year. The highest peak reaches 3,088 meters. We also have deep and gorgeous valleys with rivers flowing from the high mountains toward the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon also enjoys a nice and moderate climate.
-Sports Tourism: In Lebanon, a variety of sports are practiced all year round. Modern ski stations attract ski lovers in winter and the blue sea on the coast draws hundreds of thousands of swimmers in the summer period. All kinds of international sport competitions take place in Lebanon. In February and March, thanks to the proximity of the high mountains to the coast, people can ski in the morning and swim in the Mediterranean in the afternoon of the same day.
-Religious Tourism: In Lebanon, there are many pilgrimage sites for Christians as well as for Muslims. A fact that is not commonly known is that Jesus Christ made many miracles between the two cities of Tyre and Sidon in South Lebanon, the first of them being the transformation of water into wine in the city of Qana. Monasteries and churches attract a great number of tourists from many parts of the world.
-Archeological Tourism: Archeological sites in Lebanon constitute an important attraction for thousands of tourists. Cities like Byblos, considered the oldest city with continuous recorded history in the world, or Baalbeck known as Heliopolis during the time of the Roman Empire, or Tyre and Sidon are sure destinations for many people who study history and archeology. These historic sites offer a display of traces of past civilizations that have ruled Lebanon in ancient times.
-Business Tourism: Lebanon's reputation as the business and financial center of the Middle East lead many international businessmen to fill our numerous five star hotels in pursuit of the many business opportunities in Lebanon and the region.
-Medical Tourism: Thanks to a network of modern hospitals and an excellent quality of medical care, Lebanon is becoming a centre for treating patients from different countries of the Middle East.
I strongly believe that Polish tourists should be aware of all these possibilities and choose Lebanon as a destination, bearing in mind that the Polish and Silesian tourists are always looking for new exotic places. Lebanon offers a beautiful landscape, an excellent climate with more than 300 days of sunshine all year round, and the opportunity to ski, swim and enjoy a country which also offers a wonderful gastronomic choice. See you soon in Lebanon!
But on the other hand, Lebanese tourists should also be aware of the beauty of Poland, and the increasing number of Lebanese catholic pilgrims who travel to the Vatican and other religious places are learning more and more about religious sites in Poland like Czestochowa and Wadowice, thanks to the enormous popularity that Pope John Paul II enjoys in Lebanon.
2) Investments: I will speak about the potential of Lebanese investments in Poland and the Polish investments in Lebanon:
-Lebanese investments in Poland: With their extensive and worldwide experience in tourism, Lebanese investors can find very good opportunities in the Silesia region, as well as in many other parts of Poland, by developing tourist infrastructure like hotels, restaurants and different kinds of attractive resorts. Joint ventures, between Lebanese investors and Polish businessmen should be encouraged in this respect.
Banking is also another field where Lebanese bankers are strongly encouraged to look into. The Lebanese banking system is one of the best in the world, and Lebanese bankers have opened either directly or through joint ventures, branches to their successful banks in many countries of the world. With the entry of Poland in the European Union, more opportunities are open for Lebanese bankers to invest in this lucrative field. Some of them are already negotiating with Polish prospective partners.
-Polish investments in Lebanon: I firmly believe that Polish and especially Silesian businessmen and investors should take part in the many projects of the rehabilitation of our infrastructure. Although most of the reconstruction projects had been finalized between 1991 and 2000, I should unfortunately say that thanks to the repeated Israeli aggressions and air raids targeting mainly power plants, highways and bridges, there are always tenders worth tens of millions of dollars for different kinds of reconstruction projects. Poland has a large experience in this field with the Arab world and Polish firms are welcome to participate in these lucrative projects.
I would like also to mention that through the hundreds of Lebanese companies working in most of the Arab world and especially in the Gulf countries, Polish firms can also reach those rich Arab markets where huge tenders are always announced. This is an opportunity that should not be overlooked.
3) Trade: I will speak first about the bilateral trade between Poland and Lebanon and then the international trade in which Poland can take part through Lebanese connections.
a): Bilateral Trade: The trade balance between our two countries is very limited and does not reflect at all the good level of our political and cultural relations. I would like to draw your attention here on two important elements, the first being that the Lebanese economy is a market economy where the government has a very limited role; and the second is that Lebanon is a net importer since it imports ten times more than it exports. Our imports include almost everything, from food products, to raw materials, to finished products including cars, tractors and equipment and electric appliances, you name it.
It should also be noted that people do not look at Lebanon as a small market of less that 4 million consumers. In fact, a good proportion of Lebanese imports are destined to be re-exported to Arab and Gulf countries, which makes the Lebanese market equivalent to more that a hundred million consumers. It is up to the Polish producer and exporter to explore this promising market for their numerous products, by organizing trade delegations to Lebanon in order to meet their Lebanese counterparts. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports these kinds of delegations and they finance a good proportion of their expenses. Our embassy in Warsaw always helps in preparing a program of visits and meetings with the Lebanese through our local Chamber of Commerce. The level of trade exchange between Lebanon and Poland has increased by 25% in the last three years partly thanks to the involvement of the embassy. We are always ready to provide you with all kinds of information you might need about doing business in Lebanon.
b): International Trade: Lebanon is very well known for its centuries-old traditions and experience in international trade. We call it in Lebanon triangular trade. By that, we mean that a Lebanese businessman, from his office in Lebanon with his telephone, fax machine and now internet connection, buys products from one country, say Argentina for example and sells them to another country, like Japan, without ever seeing the merchandise. This kind of trade can be done thanks to the presence of millions of Lebanese people in different countries of the world. This network of Lebanese connections is used by many foreign companies to reach markets that would be otherwise difficult for them to penetrate. West Africa, Latin and North America including Canada, Western Europe, Australia and especially the Arab countries are areas where Polish firms are strongly encouraged to connect with Lebanese counterparts in order to open new markets for their Polish products.
One practical example of this triangular trade in Poland is the export of Polish crystal and glass products to Cameroon through a Lebanese company established in that West African country. Another example not far from us is a Lebanese company, established in Tallinn, Estonia that sells wood and forest products to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. I think that the Silesian business community should take advantage of these facts. And since it is not possible to give you all the details of the possibilities and the potential of economic exchange between Lebanon and Poland in the scope of a conference of a few minutes, please be assured that our embassy in Warsaw will always be available for any additional information anyone of you might need about Lebanon. I strongly encourage you to call the embassy whenever you think that you need to, and to visit our website at www.lebanon.com.pl which provides interesting links to all the economic sectors of our country.
Thank you very much for your attention.
