Britain, Poland sign defence treaty ahead of Brexit

Poland and Britain signed a new defence treaty on Thursday as Prime Minister Theresa May sought to deepen ties with Warsaw ahead of her country's exit from the EU by March 2019.

"Our defence and security cooperation is already strong, but we have gone even further today in signing this landmark joint UK-Poland treaty on defence and security cooperation," May said at a joint press conference with counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.

"It is only the second such treaty we have signed with a European Union country," May said, adding that "there could be no clearer expression of the closeness of the UK's relationship with Poland."

May said the new deal will cover training, information sharing and defence cooperation.

The countries are NATO allies and British troops are stationed in Poland as part of the Western defence alliance's bid to reinforce its eastern front and deter a more assertive Russia.

May said the two sides also agreed to bolster "cooperation to counter Russian disinformation in the region including through new joint strategic information projects."

"We are both deeply concerned by Russia's attempts to weaponise information. The Kremlin is seeking to undermine the international rules-based system, and it will not succeed."

May also announced the creation of a new UK-Poland business council, which she called "the first of its kind for the UK in Europe."

"The forum will be business-led and will work to identify any remaining barriers to bilateral trade as we prepare to leave the EU," May said.

She said that she wanted to assure the over one million Polish citizens in Britain that "they are a strong part" of British society "and we want them to stay."

Morawiecki, however, said that he wanted those Polish migrants to return to bolster a weak labour market.

Hundreds of thousands of Poles flocked to Britain in search of a better life after Warsaw's 2004 entry into the European Union.

China, Russia slam US 'imperialist' and 'Cold War mentality'
Beijing (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
China and Russia on Tuesday decried President Donald Trump's first National Security Strategy - which pilloried both nations as challengers to US power - as a "Cold War mentality" with an "imperialist character". The two global powerhouses hit back hours after the Trump administration unveiled its approach to the world with biting language framing Beijing and Moscow as global competitors. ... read more

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal