Transcription
[applause] [clears throat]
Dear Espen, thank you for the generous introduction. Uh sec, madame secretary general, ministers, ambassadors, uh ladies and gentlemen, yes, it's true that we belong to a very exclusive club of um uh foreign ministers who've u been defense ministers, but in the last few days, I've discovered that there is an even more exclusive club. Um our new Irish colleague is simultaneously foreign minister and defense minister. >> [laughter] >>
I'd just like it to be remembered that when I was defense minister, I bought the first Polish naval strike squadron which includes uh Kongsburg missiles and we bought a subsequent one and it's not our last word. Um I am particularly pleased to be standing here before you in this magnificent hall uh because uh our ambassador tells us that this was the place where traditionally the Nobel Peace Prize was uh uh handed over and one of the last recipients who received it here was um Danuta Vawensa the wife of Le Vensa who couldn't come here in person because he couldn't be sure that the communist authorities uh would have uh let him back in. So for us in that depth of uh of the communist oppression in the middle of Poland's last decades decade in the 1980s, it was a very moving moment. It was uh it was a lifting up of spirits and uh and a and a gesture to give us hope. We were at that time in the 1980s the poorest in our 10,000-year history by comparison with uh Western Europe. We've um we've done uh very well since then. Uh which proves that democracy and free markets work. Huh.
Um, of course, um, the Nobel Peace Prize is so of of some interest. Um, right now, prime ministers get letters. uh speaker of parliament has stated uh this morning that unfortunately he will not be signing the readymade uh uh nomination paper uh for the um for for next for the next uh Nobel Peace Prize. Apparently as foreign ministers we also have the right to nominate. I'm on the record saying that if uh President Trump secures a fair peace for Ukraine, I shall do it myself. But um but it's I who will decide what's what what a fair peace is.
Um [clears throat] the relationship between Poland and Norway uh is uh in the best shape ever. I can't imagine how it could be even better. Last year, Norwegian air defense systems and F-35s were the first to help protect the Polish sky. Defense cooperation has been growing steadily and effectively. Together, as Espen has already mentioned, we are helping Ukra Ukrainian soldiers who can now train in Poland in camp camps. This year, Norway will be the strategic partner for the Warsaw Security Forum whose boss is here. That's right. Um I I come I hope you come in droves to to Warso too. It's an excellent uh institution. Uh and we hold similar views and concerns. I come here with a simple message. Poland also looks north. We are willing to develop our bilateral cooperation with Norway even further. I believe our countries have a unique role to play on our continent. Uh geographic locations give our countries a strategic role in their respective regions with regard to Russia. And it even goes uh deeper than that. You know, Poland is between east and west. In the old days that NATO, they used to joke that um God created Poland for tank warfare. We are trying to get away from that image. And we now like to think of ourselves as southern Scandinavia.
[applause] [applause] You may not may or may not know that our prime minister Donald Tusk actually belongs to the Kashb national minority in Poland and they are they were originally a Baltic tribe. So here you are. Norway is the oldest NATO member in the region and Poland is the biggest on the eastern flank. We are both investing in our defense capabilities and I would venture to say that our relevance is increasingly recognized by our American allies.
Russian aggression against Ukraine and Russia's hybrid war against Europe continue unabated. Poland still Putin still believes he can win. Any misunderstanding within the transatlantic family, any distraction from our real security priorities encourages him to explore our weaknesses and fosters Kremlin's criminal endeavors. Ukrainian territorial integrity and our own security is a long-term commitment. We support efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war, but we all understand that to have peace with Putin, we need to be united and ready to defend one another. Our strategic goals are straightforward. to keep our transa transatlantic community strong and united to increase European NATO capabilities in response to the Russian aggression in the face of an inevitable shift in burden share burden sharing to address key gaps in regional security and around the Norwegian and Baltic seas.
I am impressed with Norway's growing awareness of our shared responsibility for the Baltic Sea. As Espen was just saying, I uh appreciate your dedication, your willingness to participate in these efforts, Poland is at the moment in the chair of the Council of Baltic Sea states and uh we aim to make the organization politically stronger by adopting a more focused strategy for regional security and I know I can count on Norway's cooperation in this effort with the impressive um world's fifth largest trading fleet and the enormous experience in private public partnership. Norway we see as a maritime superpower. I do encourage you to take a leading role in two areas. One halting the growth of the infamous shadow fleet which I prefer to call clunker fleet because shadow shadows are um are harmless. But a fleet of very old tankers that don't fulfill technical criteria, that don't hold actionable insurance, and that ply enormous amounts of uh oil in a a shallow enclosed sea like the Baltic is an is a present danger to the ecosystems and uh and to our finances. quite frankly. Uh just to um uh uh convince you how serious this is, I once um a couple of years ago I asked the chairman of BP how much it cost them to clean up the uh mess created by Deep Water Horizon. Do you remember in um in the Gulf of America once called the Gulf of Mexico, the total cost, the rescue operation, the cleanup and the uh the payoffs and the legal costs, $65 billion, half the value of the company.
Um and secondly um we need jointly to provide assistance in the protection of maritime critical infrastructure. As you know uh pipelines and uh underwater cables are being breached sometimes on purpose sometimes by accident. Uh but we don't have the right uh legal framework for for dealing with people who do this. The only way to defeat and keep away uh Russia is to continue degrading their energy sector and to limit the flow of resources to their defense companies. We we believe in allianc's principle of 360 degrees. We follow the developments in the Arctic region and share your perspective enshrined in the already mentioned national Norwegian national security strategy and your new Arctic strategy. The Arctic is becoming a region of growing tensions. Please be sure that you will not be alone in facing this new challenge. Poland is no newcomer to the Arctic. Next year we will mark the 70th anniversary of a of the permanent Polish polar station Horns in Swalbart and we've just agreed with Espen that we would uh go and visit it together next year.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me raise two more issues connected to security. First, economic cooperation. As the world's 20th largest economy, which Poland is now, we are ready to step up our cooperation in new fields, in IT, in quantum technologies, energy, space programs, and broader research. I'm also very proud to have learned from our ambassador this morning that uh the Polish prochemical company, Orland, is the 10th largest taxpayer in Norway. In the world of hybrid risks and trade wars, cooperation, innovation, and comp competitiveness are not a choice. They are a must.
Secondly, Norway and the European Union. Norway is no longer a self-sufficient country on the periphery of Europe. Norway is not just yet another European country. You are a pillar of Europe's security. And in a world where long-established principles are undermined, we need more European unity, rest assured that if you ever apply to join the European Union, I am confident in saying that whoever is in charge in Poland will vote in favor.
[applause] Ladies and gentlemen, the last few years have made it very clear where our friends are. Certainly in Northern Europe, the relationship between our countries is built on reliability and a shared understanding of our commitments. This is allows us to plan for the long term and to act with confidence even in an uncertain international environment. Poland has been and will remain your trustworthy and accountable ally and we know this commitment is fully reciprocated. Thank you very much.
[applause]