Issue of NATO base in Poland might be discussed at Alliance summit this fall - Polish diplomat
MOSCOW. June 6 (Interfax) - The issue of establishing a new NATO base in Poland might be discussed at the Alliance summit in Wales this fall, Polish Ambassador to Russia Wojciech Zajaczkowski said.
"The issue of opening new bases comes from the Alliance's policy in general, not from certain members. Such decisions are a result of the assessment of the existing international situation and challenges to the Euro-Atlantic security related to it. It seems to me that the fall NATO summit will be a natural moment to discuss this issue," the Polish ambassador said in an interview with Interfax when asked to comment on the information regarding Warsaw's address to NATO on placing a comprehensive military base in Poland, similar to those located in Belgium, Germany and some other states.
The situation concerning Ukraine is alarming, the Polish ambassador said. "We are watching the events happening there and they disturb us," he said.
"The Crimean issue is usually interpreted from the viewpoint of the Ukrainian-Russian relations," Zajaczkowski said. "We look at this much wider because this is the first case since early 1940s, when one European country took the territory of another European state, and this drastically changes the political atmosphere in Europe. This can not go unnoticed," he said.
"It is traditional in Russia to criticize NATO and sometimes certain countries, including Poland, for the fact that they carry out too aggressive a policy and pay a lot of attention to the military aspect of their foreign policy," the ambassador said.
"I propose to look at some facts. In 2013 drills, which were held in Poland and Baltic states took place. But these were the first such exercises throughout our entire history. While Russia managed to conduct the Zapad [West] drills in Russia and Belarus three times from 2009. Our drills were inferior to the Russian-Belarusian ones in terms of soldiers and equipment involved," Zajaczkowski said.
Defense expenses are another example, the ambassador said. "With Poland this is 1.8% GDP. Most NATO countries do not even reach this level. Meanwhile, with Russia this figure is 4.1% GDP," he said.
As to the Russian bases existing in Belarus, "the issue of NATO military bases or any military presence of NATO in Central Europe is currently being discussed. Two Russian bases already operate in Belarus and, as far as we understand, a third will be opened. Such a statement was made last year. In all these cases Russia is two-three and even more steps ahead of Western countries. This can not go unnoticed," the Polish ambassador said.
When asked whether Poland might return in the future to considering placing European air defense elements on its territory, Zajaczkowski said: "In 2008 we concluded an agreement with the United States on this regard and it remains in effect. The timeline is still open. In Poland's case, it concerns implementing this project approximately from 2018."
