TORONTO, June 2, 2023 /CNW/ - Canada and Poland share a long history of strong relations, including through the vibrant community of nearly one million Canadians of Polish origin. Polish migrants to Canada have contributed to Canada's prosperity and culture.

As proud NATO Allies, our shared commitment to European and trans-Atlantic defence and security is unwavering. We support enhancing NATO's deterrence and defence posture, as the backbone of our Article 5 commitment to defend each other.

Canada and Poland enjoy strong, historic military ties reaching back to the First World War where, in 1917 at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada established Camp Kosciuszko to train recruits for the Polish army-in-exile keen to fight for a free Poland. During the Second World War, the Polish 1st Armoured Division was attached to the 1st Canadian Army and these troops fought together to liberate the Netherlands and Belgium. 

Our cooperation continues to this day, with Canadian and Polish soldiers currently deployed together in the Canadian-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia, to which Poland provides a tank company.

In October 2022, Minister of National Defence Anand and the Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Błaszczak signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation to enhance cooperation between the Canadian Armed Forces and the Polish Armed Forces.

We stand united in our determination to provide Ukraine with the financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support it requires, for as long as it takes. Ukraine needs to be able to defend itself against Russia's unjustifiable war of aggression. We call on Russia to completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops and military equipment from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine. Russia must be held accountable for the crimes committed in Ukraine. We urge Belarus to stop its complicity in Russian aggression which constitutes a blatant violation of international law.

Both Canada and Poland have acted as hosts to large numbers of Ukrainian refugees displaced by Russia's war. Poland has provided homes to more than 3 million Ukrainians, and as a frontline country, Poland plays a critical role in defending NATO's eastern flank. Additionally, Canada and Poland have been providing training to the Security Forces of Ukraine (SFU) in Poland for the past year. Currently, Canada is providing Combat Medic, Sapper (combat engineer), and Armoured Crew training to SFU personnel on Polish soil. Hundreds of Ukrainians are being trained every month jointly by Poland and Canada.

Canada and Poland have a flourishing commercial and economic relationship that leverages the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) which continues to create opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic. We note Poland's continued progress towards CETA ratification and look forward to securing the benefits of the agreement through its full implementation.

Both Canada and Poland are committed to the development of clean and renewable energy technologies that will foster energy security, advance our shared climate objectives, and lead to new commercial opportunities, including in off-shore wind. A particular area of focus for Poland is support for the development of civilian nuclear power.

In this context, Canada and Poland are pleased to announce the launch of negotiations on a bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) which will supplement the existing Canada-Euratom (European Atomic Energy Community) NCA by enhancing trade and cooperation in the area of nuclear technologies, including technologies related to small modular reactors.

We are committed to further developing and expanding our cooperation in key sectors, including by:

• Continuing to work together and with partners to ensure that Ukraine is provided with the full range of support it needs to achieve victory against Russia's invasion.
  
  
• Collaborating on practical support to Ukraine, including training the SFU in Poland.
  
  
• Actively supporting Ukraine's trans-Atlantic aspirations on the premise that Ukraine is an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic community.
  
  
• Continuing our defence and security cooperation on NATO's eastern flank, including through the enhanced Forward Presence as well as other contributions to NATO's strengthened deterrence and defence posture.
  
  
• Working within our respective Canadian and European sanctions regimes to advance efforts to ensure the maximum impact of sanctions against the Russian regime and its enablers.
  
  
• Continuing to work together, in various forums, to ensure that there is a clear and achievable plan for post-conflict Ukraine reconstruction and development.
  
  
• Expeditiously finalizing a bilateral General Security of Information Agreement on industrial security and defence, which will contribute to deepening our bilateral security cooperation and increase information sharing and defence collaboration.
  
  
• Working together to advance bilateral cooperation in energy security, including through support for a transition to clean energy technologies.
  
  
• Continuing to develop strong commercial relations, with trade, investment and cooperation on science, technology and innovation.

We look forward to meeting again in the coming years to take stock of progress and identify new areas for cooperation.

This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office