2020-10-12 13:34 update: 2020-10-12, 13:36
President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda (L) and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (P) during a press conference at the Mariinsky Palace in Kiev. The President of the Republic of Poland is visiting Ukraine. Photo PAP / Leszek Szymański
A ceremony was held in Kiev on Monday to officially greet Polish President Andrzej Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, who are meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as part of a three-day official visit.
The Polish presidential couple have been in Ukraine since Sunday and started the political part of the visit on Monday. Following the greeting ceremony, the two presidents met face to face. Talks are also planned between the Polish and Ukrainian delegations, which will cover bilateral relations, historical issues, economic ties and security.
A joint political declaration is to be signed by Duda and Zelensky, after which the two presidents will meet with the media.
The head of Duda's office, Krzysztof Szczerski, said the declaration would cover a comprehensive strategy aimed at a common policy in the fields of history, economy and security, among other issues.
Szczerski also said that Polish gas giant PGNiG would sign an agreement on Monday thanks to which it will have the right to take part in the privatisation of the Ukrainian energy sector.
Earlier on Monday, President Duda laid a symbolic basket containing ears of wheat at a monument to the victims of the 1932-1933 Ukrainian famine and also lit vigil lights at a cross commemorating the heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, namely the people who were killed during the revolution at the turn of 2013 and 2014 in Ukraine.
Later in the day, a meeting is planned between Duda and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, as well as with the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Dmytro Razumkov. Szczerski said the political talks would concern bilateral cooperation, Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations and regional issues, including the situation in Belarus. (PAP)
