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NATO's Madrid summit marks beginning of permanent US bases in CEE: Polish FM

30.06.2022 16:00
Poland’s foreign minister on Thursday said that decisions made by NATO leaders at their Madrid summit  signalled that a number of permanent US military bases would be established in Central and Eastern Europe.
Polands Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau speaks to reporters at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday, June 30, 2022.
Poland's Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau speaks to reporters at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday, June 30, 2022.PAP/Mateusz Marek

Zbigniew Rau made the remark to reporters during the three-day NATO meeting in the Spanish capital, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

Permanent US presence in Poland

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden announced that Washington would create a permanent headquarters for its Army V Corps in Poland in response to threats coming from Moscow after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Referring to the decision, Poland’s top diplomat said: “It’s the beginning of the creation of permanent bases in our part of Europe.”

Rau stated that the setting up of permanent US bases would be “a process,” but added that the decision to station the headquarters of US Army V Corps in Poland marked “a turning point.”

New strategic concept

The Polish foreign minister noted that NATO leaders meeting in Madrid endorsed a new strategic concept, describing Russia as “the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.” 

He also pointed out that Finland and Sweden were invited to join the alliance.

“The Madrid summit is definitely a success,” Rau told reporters. 

Rau said he would soon travel to Helsinki, becoming the first NATO foreign minister “to visit Finland after this absolutely historic summit for the Finns and the Swedes.”

Thursday was day 127 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, businessinsider.com.pl