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Polish, US presidents likely to sign landmark declaration: aide

PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki 17.09.2018 16:30
The Polish and US presidents are likely to sign a key declaration pledging to step up cooperation in security, energy and investment when they meet at the White House on Tuesday, a senior aide to the Polish head of state said on the eve of the meeting.
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Monday boards a plane to Bucharest, Romania to attend a Three Seas Initiative summit, on the eve of his White House meeting with US leader Donald Trump. Photo: PAP/Marcin ObaraPolish President Andrzej Duda on Monday boards a plane to Bucharest, Romania to attend a Three Seas Initiative summit, on the eve of his White House meeting with US leader Donald Trump. Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara

If approved by the two leaders, the Polish-US political declaration will help strengthen “the strategic partnership between Poland and the United States,” Krzysztof Szczerski, chief of staff to Polish President Andrzej Duda, said on Monday.

He told a news conference in Warsaw that the declaration was expected to consist of "three pillars:" closer military and security cooperation; closer energy ties, including investment and "joint opposition” to initiatives that harm “the open European gas market," such as the Russia-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas link currently under construction; and economic and investment cooperation.

Szczerski told reporters that, in addition to a one-on-one between Duda and Trump, "the Polish-US summit" in Washington on Tuesday would include talks between delegations of Polish and American officials, among them US Vice-President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Szczerski said no topic was off limits for talks between Duda and Trump. He also noted that Duda meeting Trump at the White House on Tuesday would mark the first official visit by a Polish president to the White House in eight years.

Defence deal?

A Polish newspaper reported last week that Poland’s government has decided to buy 56 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the United States that the deal would be announced as Duda is set to meet Trump in Washington.

Poland is also in talks with the United States to host permanent US army bases, and it is "highly likely" that such bases will be set up in Poland, the country’s defence minister said last month.

‘Strategic partnership’

The White House press secretary last month said in a statement that “President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will welcome President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda of Poland for their first official visit to the White House on September 18, 2018.”

The statement added that "the visit takes place as Poland celebrates the centennial year of the recovery of its independence and just over a year since President Trump’s historic visit to Warsaw on July 5 and 6, 2017."

During their meeting, Duda and Trump are expected to “address ways to strengthen the United States-Poland strategic partnership and plan to discuss topics of mutual interest, including trade, military, and security matters,” according to the White House press secretary.

Previous encounters

Duda and Trump discussed military cooperation during a brief meeting ahead of a NATO summit in Brussels in July, according to Duda’s chief of staff, Krzysztof Szczerski.

In January, news reports said Duda and Trump held talks on energy and business projects at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

While in Warsaw in July last year, Trump said that America "has never been closer to Poland." He also praised Poland as an “example for others who seek freedom.”

Three Seas Initiative

Duda was expected to fly to Washington immediately after a summit of the so-called Three Seas Initiative in Bucharest, Romania on Monday.

Szczerski told reporters that Duda's trips to Bucharest and Washington were "joined by a common idea” of building a strong ... region between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas."

Szczerski also said Duda’s US visit imparted a message that Poland "wants to be a strong partner of the Euro-Atlantic community."

While in Warsaw in July last year, Trump vowed that America would be the “strongest ally and steadfast partner” of the “truly historic” Three Seas Initiative.

The Three Seas Initiative, launched by Poland and Croatia in 2015, aims to step up cooperation among 12 countries between the Black, Baltic and Adriatic Seas: Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

In a message to those taking part in the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest, Trump said that the initiative had "great potential" to strengthen energy security and reduce trade barriers.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP

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