The spring plenary session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly was held at the Polish Sejm. As the Speaker of the Sejm emphasized, it was gathered to assess the political and security situation and to define the tasks for the future, which will constitute our contribution to the July summit of the Alliance.

According to Kuchciński, an analysis of the state of security in the Atlantic community does not inspire optimism. - In many regions, traditional military threats have returned, and now the list is "enriched" by new ones, of hybrid character and in the sphere of cyber security. We notice them clearly on the eastern flank of the Alliance - he said.

Marek Kuchciński pointed out that parliaments of the member states have an important role to play in the process of strengthening the Alliance. - It is incumbent on us to support it with concrete legal solutions and budgetary decisions. The key task in this respect is to streamline decision-making procedures both in the Alliance as a structure and at the state level,' he said.

The Speaker emphasized that in the current international situation a permanent presence of the Alliance forces on its eastern flank is indispensable. - That is why we welcome with joy and hope the decision of the United States Senate of 24 May this year to support the permanent stationing of a brigade of U.S. troops in Poland," Kuchciński said.

The Sejm of the Republic of Poland, supporting the policy of the state and the government, takes action for multifaceted cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2016, we have been organizing conferences of the Presidents of Parliaments of the countries of the region. It includes parliaments of countries that are members of the Alliance, aspire to participate in the Pact and remain outside it.

The Speaker emphasized that the door to the Alliance should be open to all European countries that share the values of our community and are willing and ready to accept the obligations of membership in the Alliance. We support the implementation of alliance declarations with regard to Ukraine and Georgia, because leaving these countries outside the Alliance threatens its stability.

The NATO Parliamentary Summit lasted from May 25-28. Several hundred parliamentarians from member states as well as from associated and observer countries took part in the debate. - This is a very important event from the point of view of the whole Alliance and Poland,' emphasised Paolo Alli, chairman of the ZP NATO. - Poland is celebrating important anniversaries this year: 100th anniversary of regaining independence and 550th anniversary of Polish parliamentarism. These are occasions which give special meaning to our meeting in Warsaw," he noted. The Italian politician stressed that NATO demonstrated strong solidarity with Poland. He said that adapting to the new challenges that have emerged in the East has strengthened deterrence and collective defense capabilities. - We have several battle groups in the Baltics and Poland. Also the presence of the American contingent is a clear demonstration of our solidarity with Poland - emphasized the head of the ZP NATO Paolo Alli. - We realize that the eastern border of Poland is the eastern border of NATO. Solidarity is not just an empty word but something very concrete and practical,' he explained.

Photo by Rafał Zambrzycki