National Defense Ministers of Poland Mariusz Błaszczak and Croatia Mario Banozić stated that both countries will continue to support Ukraine. “It is important for the security of Europe and the free world that the Russian Empire is not reborn,” emphasized Mariusz Błaszczak.
The defense ministers of Poland and Croatia met on Monday at the military unit in Bemowo Piskie in Masuria, where a group of eFP (Enhanced Forward Presence) soldiers is stationed. It consists of soldiers from Poland, Croatia, the United States, Romania and Great Britain. Croatian soldiers in this group use artillery weapons. Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, head of the Polish Ministry of Defense, stressed that the ongoing war in Ukraine shows “how important artillery is on today’s battlefield”.
“Attacking NATO countries does not pay
Our task for the NATO allied forces is to defend and deter, that is, to show that it is not profitable to attack the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, and to show that countries in the other part of Europe, as in the case of Croatia, are sensitive to countries on the eastern flank
– emphasizes Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak. As he added, “it is very important that within NATO we show our solidarity, our unity.”
Polish activity in the Western Balkans
Bilateral talks between Błaszczak and Banożić, held in Bemowo Piskie, lasted about an hour. After the meeting, Błaszczak reported talking to his Croatian counterpart about cooperation between the two countries and Polish activities in the Western Balkans.
We talked about cooperation in the NATO and EU forums. The NATO summit in Vilnius is ahead of us – it is a very important event from a security point of view
– added the Deputy Prime Minister.
Cooperation for Ukraine
Among the topics of the talks, he also mentioned support for a struggling Ukraine.
We agree that such a process should continue. It is important for the security of Europe and the free world that the Russian Empire is not reborn
– emphasized the head of the Ministry of National Defense.
After the meeting, the Minister of National Defense of Croatia, Mario Banozić, emphasized that joint exercises of soldiers from different countries are “very good for learning something new in a short time”. He expressed the hope that another shift of soldiers from his country would soon arrive in Poland. He also praised the Polish military’s ability to adapt within the alliance to ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine.
With such flexibility and strength, I hope the war in Ukraine will be over soon
Banozic added. He stressed that the Croatian government has provided Ukraine with all political, financial, medical and military assistance since the beginning of the Russian aggression. We will do this for as long as necessary.
“Let’s show that the NATO alliance is stronger than ever”
The Croatian minister wished the military a successful performance of their duties.
And I wish us good cooperation within NATO, so that we can meet the current challenges that constantly arise. And I hope we can raise more money for activities like the ones that are being conducted here. It’s about showing that the NATO alliance is stronger than ever
Banozic said.
Poland is participating NATO’s eFP initiative – improved forward presence; it is one of the host countries, but also a contributing country to one of the groups. It also creates a headquarters of a multinational division in Elbląg, which coordinates the activities of all eFP groups. The main strength of the eFP are four multinational NATO battalion battlegroups deployed in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Each group was formed by a framework nation, the United States, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom respectively.
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rm/PAP
Source: wPolityce