Diplomatic Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Poland

Irans diplomatic relations with Poland have a very long and ancient historical tradition. Persian coins of the Sammanid era discovered on Polish territory attest to the relations (in this case economic) between the two countries, which reach back a thousand years. However, the first document providing written testimony to official contacts between Iran and Poland dates from 1474, and it is a letter from Uzun Hasan, an Iranian ruler from the Aq Qoyunlu dynasty, to Casimir IV Jagiellon (Kazimierz Jagiellończyk), the then King of Poland. During that period, beginning in the 15th century, the Poles were always present among the European delegations which maintained contact with the Safavid court in Iran, and these contacts ensured that the Persian language, culture and crafts held a special place among the Polish nobility of the time.

In 1795, during the period of partition, Iran was one of only two countries in the world which never officially recognised the partitions and occupation of Poland. In turn, during the Battle of Herat in 1838 the Polish officer Izydor Borowski gave his life defending the territorial integrity of Iran. As well as this, Iran was one of the first countries to recognise the reborn Republic when Poland regained her independence following the First World War, and established diplomatic relations by locating a mission in Warsaw. It is also claimed that even before the First World War Iran had an honorary consul in Warsaw.

In December 1920 an Iranian diplomatic mission was opened by Asad Bahador in Warsaw. Initially, until March 1922, Bahador was chargédaffaires and then until October 1926 served as minister plenipotentiary. In 1925, the Republic of Poland also opened a mission in Teheran. These events were followed in 1927 by the signing of a treaty of friendship, which constituted one of the most important documents tying the two countries, and consequently the friendly relationship between the two countries took on a more stable and institutionalised character.

During World War 2 and the occupation of Poland, around 120,000 Polish citizens released from Soviet gulags in Siberia ended up in Iran, where the humanitarian reception and hospitality of the Iranians towards the emigrants played a major role in strengthening the social, cultural and political ties between the two countries. After the war ended, a certain number of Polish émigrés remained in Iran, and today there are cemeteries with Polish graves in several towns and cities, including Teheran. Facts such as the founding of the Iranian Studies Society in 1942 in Teheran, and the formation of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association and Polish schools throughout Iran are historic testimony to the presence of Polish emigrants in this country.

After the victory of the Islamic revolution in Iran, the then socialist government in Poland was among the first states to recognise the New Islamic Government of Iran .During that period, political consultation and cooperation took place through exchanges of delegations by high level state authorities, parliamentary representatives, ministers and vice-ministers. That cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Poland is still taking place through political, economic and cultural consultations at a ministerial level, economic and cultural delegations and in particular representatives of the two states foreign affairs ministries.