The Secretary General praised Poland’s practical and political commitments to the Alliance. He underscored that Poland plays a significant part in NATO’s command structure, supporting operations planning and exercises. Poland hosts the Multinational Corps Headquarters in Szczecin and one of the existing Force Integration Units. Poland also hosts the Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz. Mr. Stoltenberg noted Poland’s contributions to Baltic air policing and maritime patrols, as well as to the NATO Response Force and NATO exercises. The Secretary General also highlighted that Poland has raised its defence spending to two per cent of GDP.
“There is a lot of Poland in NATO and a lot of NATO in Poland,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. He underlined that a significant number of Allied exercises have taken place in Poland and this spring, NATO will break ground for a key site in Poland for NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defence.
The Secretary General noted that preparations for the Warsaw Summit are well on track. He added that the Summit is a key milestone for the adaptation of the Alliance and must ensure that the Alliance remains committed to the values on which it was founded: democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. He stressed that “these values are a vital source of our unity. And unity is our greatest strength.”
NATO PRESS RELEASE
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