What goes on in Poland on the 8th of October.
Polish offer regarding permanent bases reviewed in the Pentagon
– This is my another conversation and meeting with the US Secretary of Defense. We are working very hard to achieve a common goal. Work on the elaboration of the details of this project was also undertaken by a working group made up of experts from the Pentagon and the Ministry of National Defense – Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said after his conversation with US Secretary of Defense James Mattis on permanent US bases in Poland.
On Thursday, the head of the Ministry of National Defense participated in the meeting of Defense Ministers of NATO countries in Brussels, during which the implementation process of the July NATO summit decisions implementation, issues related to collective defense, defense budget and programs strengthening defense capabilities, including the Initiative so-called 4×30 were discussed. Minister Blaszczak participated in the North Atlantic Council meeting with the participation of Sweden and Finland on NATO-EU cooperation on European defense initiatives and on the North Atlantic Council meeting on collective defense and deterrence.
– During today’s meeting, we spoke about the threats resulting from the aggressive attitude from the Russian side. It is extremely important to be aware of these threats and find the right and effective answer. NATO is solidary and guarantees the security of states that are part of the alliance – said Mariusz Błaszczak, the Minister of National Defense in NATO Headquarters.
– We talked about the situation in Europe and in the world due to aggressive Russian behavior. Today, the defense minister of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands presented information on the next cyber attack from the Russian side. This is yet another manifestation of Russia’s hybrid activities. We talked about how to counteract these types of attacks. The US has declared its participation in counteracting cyber attacks. Poland is ready to participate in these endeavors – the head of the Defense Ministry said.
A visit in Brussels
During his visit to Brussels, Minister Błaszczak during bilateral meetings talked with the ministers of: Croatia, Romania, Lithuania and the Defence Minister of Italy on the development and strengthening of bilateral cooperation. The Defense Minister also met with the Secretary of Defense J. Mattis.
– The conversation with the US Secretary of Defense concerned bilateral relations, including issues related to permanent US bases in Poland. The Pentagon is working very intensively on the offer made by the Polish side regarding premanent bases – said Minister Błaszczak. The head of the Ministry of National Defense recalled that the Pentagon was obliged by March 2019 to submit recommendations regarding the location of permanent bases in Poland.
During the meeting of Defense Ministers of NATO countries, Deputy Minister Tomasz Szatkowski signed, on behalf of the Minister of National Defense, the declaration of intent regarding marine unmanned systems. The signing states are: Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain.