Warsaw, Poland - 9 June 2015
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today wrapped-up a successful trip to Poland, which was part of a broader visit to Europe featuring stops in Ukraine, Germany for the G-7 Summit and Vatican City/Italy. He was joined by Jason Kenney, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism.
In Poland, the Prime Minister met with Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz, President Bronisław Komorowski and President-elect Andrzej Duda. Discussions focused on regional security – in particular on Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine – and ways to strengthen the already deep ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Harper took the opportunity to pay tribute to the sacrifices made by Polish and Canadian citizens who fought side by side during World War II by participating in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
During the visit, Prime Minister Harper announced the signing of a Declaration of Intent between the Department of National Defence of Canada and the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland, indicating their shared commitment to further strengthening defence cooperation, promoting security and contributing to international peace. To this end, Canada and Poland will establish strategic defence dialogues to explore ways to further collaborate in a range of fields, including bilateral and multilateral training, international personnel placements and exchanges, military education, defence capacity building in third states and information sharing. The Prime Minister also announced that Canada would be contributing personnel to the NATO Multi-national Corps – North East Headquarters located in Szczecin, Poland.
Finally, the Prime Minister announced Canada’s Market Access Plan (MAP) for Poland – a three-year plan under Canada’s Global Markets Action Plan – which will mobilize partnerships across the federal government and the private sector, enabling Canadian companies to take advantage of commercial opportunities in Poland, helping to create jobs and growth in both countries.
