Poland did not initially open a resident embassy in the Philippines when diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established on September 22, 1973, with relations initially being conducted through the Polish embassy in Tokyo.[1] In 1993, a resident embassy was opened in Manila, but the mission was closed the following year.[2]
Following the closure of the resident embassy, the Philippines was placed under the jurisdiction of the Polish embassy in Bangkok,[1] and eventually the embassy in Kuala Lumpur. While there was no resident embassy in the Philippines, Poland conducted its diplomatic relations through its honorary consulate in Manila, which was first opened in 1938.[3] A second honorary consulate was opened in Cebu City in 2009,[4] followed by a third in General Santos in 2013.[5]
In 2013, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a delegation to the Philippines to discuss the possible reopening of the embassy in Manila, owing to the growing Philippine economy and the possibility of enhancing political, economic and touristic exchanges through having a permanent presence in the Philippines.[6] Three years later, Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski announced in a speech delivered on the floor of the Sejm that the embassy in Manila would be reopened, coinciding with Poland's desire to expand its economic involvement in Asia.[7]
On August 23, 2017, Deputy Foreign Minister Marek Magierowski presented a note verbale to Patricia Ann Paez, the Philippine ambassador to Poland, informing the Philippine government that it would be reopening the embassy on January 2, 2018,[8] and after 24 years of closure, the Polish Embassy in Manila was finally reopened on January 4, 2018.[2]
Location and staff
The Polish Embassy is provisionally headed by a chargé d'affaires, pending the appointment of an ambassador by the Polish government. The current chargé d'affaires is Jarosław Szczepankiewicz, who had previously served as the Polish ambassador to Ethiopia between 2008 and 2012.
1 The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines is the representative office of Taiwan in the Philippines, which functions as an informal diplomatic mission.