Poland announces 1.5-mln-zloty aid projects in Palestine

Poland and Palestine signed a framework agreement for cooperation in the humanitarian field, under which, the Polish foreign ministry will allocate 1.5 million zloty in 2009 for the Palestinians which will be used in aid projects, including training Palestinian police officers. Furthermore, in connection with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the ministry has sent 230,000 Euro via UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) to help those who have been most harmed.

This was announced during the meeting of Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski with the Palestinian National Authority Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riad Al-Malki, on February 9, who accompanied President Mahmoud Abbas during an official visit to Poland. The current situation in the Middle East was also discussed, including the prospects of consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza, inter-Palestinian dialogue and a renewal of the peace process. Sikorski said that Poland wants to take part in reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. "We support the peace process, efforts of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, and we join the Palestinian nation in efforts aimed to form two nations and states which could live in peace together - Israel and Palestine," Sikorski said.

The minister stressed that Israel has the right to a secure life, while the Palestinians has the right to self-determination. "Poland, within the scope of its ability, wants to contribute to peace processes in the Middle East ... we want to participate in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. We offer humanitarian aid to its inhabitants," he said.