Security Office head, assistant to US defence secretary discuss co-operation
Head of the National Security Office (BBN) Pawel Soloch and US Assistant Secretary of Defense Robert Karem met in Warsaw late Wednesday evening to discuss allied co-operation, including perspectives of US military presence in Poland.
Paweł Soloch, speaking to PAP after the meeting, said that Karem, assistant secretary of defence for international security affairs, came to Poland to confirm US commitment to the security of Poland and NATO's eastern flank.
"We have discussed experiences from the hitherto presence of US military forces in Poland and prospects for its possible strengthening. Robert Karem appreciated the excellent co-operation of Polish and US soldiers over the past years, from joint operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to joint daily exercises of units stationed in Poland," said P. Soloch.
He added that Karem emphasised that "for the US, Poland is a model ally, an example in the field of defence spending and of strong commitment to the security of all allies."
"US involvement in the region is well-grounded. One of the pillars is our common values, bonding not only Poland and the US but the entire North Atlantic Alliance and in a broader sense - the entire Western world. These values are constantly threatened by revisionist powers such as Russia or by international terrorism," said the BBN head.
Paweł Soloch stressed that "we are also bonded by the assessment of the threat from Russia which not only has a military dimension, but also a hybrid one." "The latest example of Russian aggression is the chemical attack carried out in Great Britain (...) Such activities are unacceptable and strongly condemned by the entire Alliance, including Poland," stressed the BBN head.
According to Pawel Soloch "the rich calendar of meetings with representatives of the Trump administration and US analytical centres is the best proof of the state of Polish-US relations and the quality of our co-operation covering security issues."
Source: PAP, own inf.