NATO chief praises Poland’s ‘dedication, courage and sacrifice’

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (left) with President Komorowski in Warsaw: photo - PAP/Jacek Turczek

“I would like to pay tribute to [Polish troops’] courage and sacrifice,” Rasmussen said at a joint press conference on Thursday and thanked Poland for its participation in the construction of "a strong NATO and strong Europe".

The NATO secretary general claimed that the international ISAF mission in Afghanistan, where Poland has had up to 2,500 troops stationed in the Ghazni province, has been “a blow to Al-Qaeda and has contributed to the strengthening of Afghan security forces. I want to thank Poland for the contributions it has made in Afghanistan, and I look forward to continuing Polish support after 2014 [when NATO troops withdraw],” he added.

President Bronislaw Komorowski invited Rasmussen to the ‘Steadfast Jazz 2013’ NATO exercise to be held in the Baltic States and Poland this September.

The exercise, involving around 5,000 troops, “will, hopefully, prove the existence of real skills and real willingness to defend the territories of the Member States in relation to the existing plans,” Komorowski said. (pg)

source: PAP