For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 15, 2001
Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and President Aleksander Kwasniewski
President George W. Bush and President Aleksander Kwasniewski affirm
the deep friendship that exists between the United States and Poland,
based on our common commitment to democratic values and our common
resolve to build a stronger Transatlantic alliance and a 21st century
Europe whole, free, and at peace. For more than ten years
Poland and the United States have worked together to advance and
maintain democracy in Europe. This is made possible by the
existence of an independent Poland, a vision for years nurtured by
Poles who, among the first of the nations of Central and Eastern
Europe, initiated a successful march to freedom. The
friendship of the two countries is deeply rooted in a common tradition
of striving towards freedom, a goal fostered for generations by
Americans of Polish descent who, while contributing to the success of
the United States, never forgot the country of their ancestors.
We affirm that NATO will remain the essential foundation of
Transatlantic security. We will work together and with our
other NATO Allies to adapt NATO to new missions and new challenges, by
strengthening its capabilities; admitting to our ranks European
democracies prepared to assume the responsibilities of membership; and
extending cooperation with Ukraine, Russia, and other members of the
Partnership for Peace. Poland's entry into NATO in 1999
marked a milestone in its return to the Transatlantic community and
increased Europe's security overall. NATO's continuing
enlargement will allow new Allies to join with and make contributions
to a more secure and undivided Europe and Euroatlantic
area. We will work together to advance NATO's enlargement,
upon meeting objective criteria by the candidate countries, at NATO's
Prague Summit in November 2002. The future enlargement of
NATO will significantly contribute to the security of the Euroatlantic
community of nations.
Poland and the United States support efforts of NATO's European Union
members and other EU nations to assume greater responsibility for
crisis management by committing new resources to strengthen their and
NATO's capabilities and developing the ability to manage efforts where
NATO as a whole chooses not to engage, through the European Union's
European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). The United
States and Poland believe it is essential that the EU develop
capabilities in a manner that is fully coordinated, compatible, and
transparent with NATO, and to provide for the fullest possible
participation of non-EU European Allies.
Poland's success in building democracy and market economy is relevant
to the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe. Poland
and the United States reaffirm their support for future Ukrainian
integration into Western institutions as a solid base for Ukrainian
sovereignty, independence, free market economy and civil society. We
pledge to work with our allies to this end, and call on Ukraine's
leadership to rebuild a consensus for the reforms needed to achieve
this goal. We note with satisfaction the successful
completion of United States programs assisting Poland's economic
reforms, and agree to cooperate in supporting Poland's efforts to share
the lessons of Poland's experience with neighbors seeking assistance.
We note with pride the achievements of the Polish American Enterprise
Fund, one of the first initiatives launched in the new, free Poland by
President George H.W. Bush, which achieved enormous success, and
continues its efforts through its successor foundation, the Polish
American Freedom Foundation (PAFF). We are gratified by the
growing role of the PAFF and other civic organizations as a conduit for
sharing Poland's free market, democratic experience in the region.
We are committed to strengthening mutual contacts by creating an
environment conducive for investment and growth of trade. We
are certain that young generations of Poles and Americans will continue
to look for solutions to problems and challenges of the new
millennium. This is another way in which Poland, the United
States and their friends are working together to nurture democracy and
prosperity.
We reaffirm our commitment to work with the European Union and other
partners to consolidate peace and build lasting stability in Southeast
Europe based on democratic governance, the rule of law, and increasing
integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. We condemn
extremists, such as those in Macedonia, who subvert the democratic
process through the use of violence. Our two countries are
committed to NATO-led operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and will work
with our allies with a view to transfer, step by step and as
circumstances will permit, responsibilities for public security from
combat forces to specialized units and international police, and
ultimately to local authorities.
We will continue to combine our efforts in promoting observance of
human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe and beyond. We will
continue to work together on new challenges to security, going beyond
military threats, such as combating terrorism and organized
crime. While noting the complex nature of the world's
problems, we will undertake and support initiatives aimed towards such
goals as balanced development, fighting drug trafficking and the spread
of the HIV virus. We recognize the fundamental importance of
human rights and their impact on international security, and shall
continue to advocate worldwide respect for them.
We face a common threat from the growing proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction (WMD) and increasingly sophisticated missiles for
their delivery. We are engaged in a consultation process
with all interested parties about this new threat. We agree
on the need for a comprehensive security strategy that encompasses both
offensive and defense deterrent systems, continues nuclear arms
reductions, and strengthens WMD and missile proliferation controls and
counter-proliferation measures.
We reaffirm that Poland's transatlantic economic ties should facilitate
its accession into the EU. Recognizing our common goal of
open markets, we both support the launch of a new multilateral trade
round this year. The United States welcomes Poland's
candidate status in the European Union and recognizes that EU
membership will provide the United States and Poland with new trade and
investment opportunities.
We note with satisfaction the efforts by public and private
institutions in our two countries to address the crimes and injustices
of World War II and the Holocaust. We hope to see prompt
implementation of the multilateral agreement on compensation for
victims of slave and forced labor during the Second World War.
Recognizing the historic ties and democratic values that link our two
peoples, we pledge to work together as friends and close allies in
Europe and beyond to advance our common interests and values.
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