Security and defense is a strategic priority of cooperation between Poland and the United Kingdom
06.07.2023
- We discussed the NATO summit which is to be held in Vilnius. We coordinated our position. In fact, I can say that there is no controversy, there are no question marks between our approach and the fundamental goal we have, which is to strengthen the North Atlantic Alliance. It is also to create a clear path to NATO membership for Ukraine. It is as well to achieve greater consolidation within the North Atlantic Alliance so as to preserve unity, because together we are stronger" said Mariusz Blaszczak, Minister of National Defense of Poland
On Wednesday, July 5, in London, the head of the Ministry of Defense participated in Polish-British consultations of the heads of the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs in the format of the so-called Quadriga.
The consultations also included a bilateral meeting between Minister M. Blaszczak and British Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace. The main topic of the talks was the preparations for the NATO summit in Vilnius, the changing security situation on the Alliance's eastern flank, including the threats posed by the relocation of the Wagner Group to Belarus and the migration crisis.
- Our cooperation is beneficial for both our countries, it strengthens security throughout the North Atlantic Alliance. We also share the same views on threats. We try to find the best possible solutions to deter an aggressor, to cause an increase in security on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance. Our industrial cooperation is of utmost importance as well. Tomorrow I will have the opportunity to talk to representatives of British companies with whom we are cooperating in the production of the Narew system, which is a short-range air and missile defense system, but also in the construction of frigates. (...) We appreciate Polish-British cooperation. I am convinced that there are still many opportunities to strengthen these relations ahead of us
- Minister Blaszczak said after the meeting.
The ministers raised issues of armaments cooperation, joint military exercises, the presence of British soldiers in Poland, and further military and training assistance to Ukraine, where Poland and the UK play a key roles.
During the consultations in the so-called Quadriga format, the "Plan for Polish-British Defense Cooperation" and the "Declaration on Polish-British Strategic Partnership in Foreign Policy, Defense and Security 2030" were signed.
- I would like to emphasize that Ben and I are in phone contact, and indeed, in recent months, Ben has been to Warsaw twice: at the meetings of the B9 group of defense ministers and the Northern Group. I highly value this relationship, this cooperation, which has resulted, for instance, in the fact that we have jointly launched a short-range air and missile defense program. And as I was telling Ben, two weeks ago, the first firing took place at the firing range in Ustka. This is a game-changing advance in terms of the development of technology that is being used by the Polish Armed Forces in cooperation with the UK.
- noted the head of the Polish defense ministry.
Speaking on Allied cooperation and the upcoming NATO summit, the head of the Ministry of Defense underlined that Poland will provide support to Lithuania.
- Poland is united with our Allies, that's why we created PMC Lithuania. We must be ready for provocations. We support Lithuania, and we must remember that Russia is predictable in its unpredictability, and the NATO alliance is strong in its solidarity
- said the head of the Ministry of Defense in London.
During his stay in the United Kingdom, Mariusz Blaszczak, Minister of Defense, laid flowers at the monument of General Sikorski in London, as well as at the monuments of General Sikorski and the Air Bridge in Newark. The head of the Ministry of Defense also held a meeting with the Polish community, during which he handed out Polish Armed Forces' Medals to people who have contributed, among other things, to the popularization of the history and traditions of the Polish Military in the international arena.
On Thursday, the second day of his stay in Great Britain, Minister Mariusz Blaszczak held talks with representatives of the British arms industry, including partners with whom Poland has already started cooperation at various levels.
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Consultations in the formula of the so-called Quadriga (four ministers debate together during a plenary session, preceded by bilateral meetings of the heads of the respective ministries), are one of the contact formats that has become a permanent part of the tradition of Allied relations between Poland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
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British soldiers serve in Poland as part of the Battalion Battle Group, (eFP), and are also present as part of the air defense support of the Sky Saber system. In 2021, during a hybrid attack by Belarus on the Polish border, we received support of the British engineering troops.