Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki and South Korea’s Han Duck-soo held talks at a military airbase in the eastern town of Mińsk Mazowiecki on Wednesday.
The two discussed bilateral defence cooperation, Poland’s project to build a new mega air-hub near Warsaw (CPK) and the development of nuclear energy in Poland, according to officials.
Also under discussion was the modernisation of the Polish army and the development of the Polish arms industry, reporters were told.
At a joint news conference afterwards, the Polish prime minister said: “Today Poland faces the great task of building one of the strongest land armies in Europe. We intend to draw on the highest-level technology. Our strategic partnership with South Korea serves this goal.”
Morawiecki noted that Poland had recently bought military equipment from South Korea, including the K2 tanks, K9 gun howitzers and FA-50 light combat aircraft.
He stated: “Advanced South Korean equipment, which will be also produced in Poland, is becoming an important pillar of our future security.”
The Polish prime minister said that Poland and South Korea, although located far from each other, “have much in common,” such as the presence of a powerful neighbouring country.
He told reporters: “Poland and South Korea lie on two sides of the world, but also two sides of Russia. However, we share one side of defence of civilization and peace, which unites us and means that we have more and more joint economic and defence projects.”
Morawiecki added: “If we can talk about friendship in international relations, this is how friendship and partnership between Poland and Korea are built. Together, we work for security in Europe, Asia and around the world.”
The Polish prime minister also noted that bilateral trade between Poland and South Korea reached USD 10 billion in 2022.
He added: “There are 600 South Korean companies on the Polish market, including over 100 manufacturers. It’s an extremely valuable experience for us. In this way, we absorb the world’s latest technologies.”
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Han Duck-soo noted that this year marked a decade since Poland and South Korea established a strategic partnership.
He announced that his government on Tuesday allowed import of poultry meat from Poland to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation.
South Korea’s prime minister said that “Poland is undoubtedly a key partner for South Korea and a starting point for entering Central and Eastern Europe.”
Han Duck-soo added that both countries had experience in postwar reconstruction and would “work together on the rebuilding of Ukraine” following Russia’s full-scale invasion, the PAP news agency reported.
Wednesday is day 567 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
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Source: PAP, wprost.pl