NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen thanked Poland for its staunch commitment to the Alliance and its strong contributions to missions, in particular in Afghanistan and Kosovo during a visit to Warsaw on Thursday (6 June 2013). “Poland is a proud NATO member, strongly committed to the Alliance. And the Alliance is committed to Poland’s defense,” the Secretary General said.
During talks with President Bronislaw Komorowski, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, the Secretary General expressed the hope that Poland will be able to contribute to the new NATO-led post-2014 mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. The Secretary General thanked Poland in playing a leading role in making sure the Alliance has the capabilities it needs. He noted Poland’s role in NATO’s missile defense, and its participation in Smart Defense projects. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen stressed that the development of NATO’s missile defense program remains on track. “The coverage will be as planned, and we thank Poland for hosting our missile defense capabilities,” he said. Overall, he praised Poland as a "strong example" for maintaining its defense expenditures close to NATO’s target of two percent of Gross Domestic Product. The Secretary General also discussed a broad range of security issues with members of the Polish Parliament. At the Academy of National Defense, he met Polish troops who have just returned from Afghanistan and delivered a speech entitled "A Strong Europe for a Strong NATO", stressing the need for European Allies to address capability shortfalls and to embrace a global perspective.
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