NATO Secretary General calls for stronger partnerships during visit to Poland

The Secretary General congratulated Poland on 12 years of membership in NATO: "Poland is a staunch ally, a strong believer in transatlantic coperation; Poland attaches strong importance to the territorial defence of NATO territory and population, which the rationale behind our alliance."

He particularly thanked Polish soldiers for the great job they are doing in one of the most challenging areas of Afghanistan.

Looking at the current developments in the north of Africa, the Secretary General noted that the dramatic situation in Libya is a crisis on the Alliance’s doorstep that no one predicted.

“That is why NATO must be ready, and united, to respond to the full spectrum of security challenges with collective defence or crisis management – and with the full range of capabilities”, he said, stressing that NATO is not contemplating intervention in Libya, but that the Alliance needs to be prepared in case action is needed.

“When I look at Central and Eastern Europe today, it gives me tremendous optimism for what I hope can be achieved in North Africa and the Middle East. The will of the people, not violence, will prevail. Because just over two decades ago, a wave of change also swept through this region. Your countries and your people made history. You broke free – you broke down borders – and you broke down a system that had denied you freedom and fundamental human rights”, he added.

The Secretary General said that one of his priorities is strengthening partnerships with non-NATO countries, and in particular with Russia.

“We must strengthen our defence, we must strengthen our cooperation with the European Union and we must strengthen our partnerships with other nations”, the Secretary General said.

The Secretary General also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Radek Sikorski and Minister of Defence Bogdan Klich.