Polish defence minister satisfied with NATO talks

The talks on Tuesday at the organization's headquarters in Brussels come in the lead-up to a NATO summit in Warsaw this July. Besides Secretary-General Stoltenberg, Macierewicz spoke with General Philip M. Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations.

“Most of our [Polish] views on the format of a permanent presence on the eastern flank are shared by the Secretary-General and General Breedlove,” Macierewicz said.

“I can say that Poland's postulates are likely to be achieved in almost every detail,” he added.

Poland has been pushing for a permanent NATO presence in the region since the Russian-Ukrainian crisis began in 2014. The current Law and Justice government continued this policy after it was sworn into power in mid-November, following the 25 October general election.

“The decisions of the [Warsaw] summit should confirm the permanent military presence of the Alliance in such dimensions that will ensure deterrence against a potential aggressor,” Macierewicz said.

The defence minister did not expand on details, other than noting that talks covered the so-called ‘Suwalki Gap', a sixty-mile stretch of land in north eastern Poland. This flat area runs by Russian ally Belarus to NATO member Lithuania and on to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

Stoltenberg indicated in a Washington address last week that NATO intended to bolster the organisation's eastern flank. (nh/di)

Source: PAP