Poland's Mariusz Błaszczak and Canada's Anita Anand met in the Polish capital Warsaw at midday on Tuesday, state news agency PAP reported.
At a joint news conference afterwards, Błaszczak, who also serves as a Polish deputy prime minister, told reporters: “We are friends, we work together, we very much appreciate the Canadian presence on Polish soil, and likewise Polish-Canadian cooperation; together we look after the security of NATO.”
He stressed both Poland and Canada continued to support Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.
The Polish defence minister stated: “We, the Polish people, would very much like to have an independent Ukraine as our neighbour, not Russia. We appreciate Canadian involvement on the eastern flank of NATO.”
Błaszczak noted that Polish and Canadian troops served together in Latvia, where Canada is the framework nation for NATO’s enhanced-forward presence (eFP) Battle Group.
“We’ll do everything to thwart attempts to revive the Russian empire and to ensure that the war doesn’t spill into NATO territory,” he added.
Polish-Canadian defence cooperation
The Polish defence minister announced that he and Anand signed a memorandum on military cooperation between Poland and Canada.
He told reporters: “Today we have an opportunity to tighten Polish-Canadian relations. This is why we have just signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation in the field of military training and technology. We are stronger together.”
Błaszczak further said: “Our tasks are related to strengthening NATO and the Polish Armed Forces by increasing their size and equipping them with modern weapons to deter and defend.”
He added: “Our cooperation with Canada is also a vital aspect of deterrence. We are stronger together.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s Anand told reporters: “Poland and Canada are close NATO allies, and the progress we made at today’s meeting will help us build an even closer defence relationship.”
She added: “Poland and Canada have both demonstrated leadership in supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion – and the MOU and training announced today will help us reinforce the rules-based international order that keeps both of our countries safe.”
Tuesday was day 230 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gov.pl, canada.ca