Andrzej Duda has mentioned the Aegis facility at Redzikowo was by no means about protection towards ‘Iranian ICBMs’
The missile protection facility at Redzikowo isn’t about intercepting ballistic missiles from Iran, however about shifting Poland into the US zone of affect and away from Russia, Polish President Andrzej Duda has revealed.
The Aegis Ashore facility on the Baltic Coastline was proposed within the early 2000s, after the US repudiated the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) treaty. Washington assured Moscow on the time that the longer term bases in Romania and Poland weren’t aimed towards Russia however towards “rogue states” equivalent to Iran or North Korea.
Talking on the opening ceremony for the Redzikowo base on Wednesday, Duda quoted the phrases of the Polish president on the time, Lech Kaczynski, revealing the true objective of the missile base.
“Andrzej, these missiles is not going to defend Poland,” Duda mentioned. “They’ll really defend areas far, far-off from Poland from missiles that might probably be launched from Iran, for instance. However this might be an American missile base, which can include a number of the best secrets and techniques of the US and which the US will guard.”
“And this is essential, as a result of this American base might be constructed on our soil, in Poland,” Duda continued, quoting his predecessor. “And from that second, when this base stands right here, the entire world will see clearly that that is not the Russian zone of affect. And from the Polish perspective, that is a very powerful factor strategically.”
Talking for himself, Duda mentioned he was happy that the US now had 10,000 troops in Poland and mentioned American troopers would at all times be welcome on his nation’s soil.
“If someplace on the earth somebody is sad with having American troopers and an American base, then come to us, we cordially invite you,” the Polish president mentioned. “We’ll at all times welcome you with pleasure.”Polish International Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who additionally spoke on the ceremony, mentioned it was “not a coincidence” that Warsaw and Washington signed the deal for the bottom simply days after the Russo-Georgian battle of August 2008.
Polish Protection Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz known as the opening of the bottom “a unprecedented occasion within the historical past of the safety of Poland” and additional proof that Warsaw “is an efficient ally” of the US. He famous that Polish troops fought alongside the People in Afghanistan and Iraq, even earlier than becoming a member of NATO.
Moscow has lengthy maintained that Washington’s claims in regards to the objective of Aegis bases had been disingenuous, and that their actual goal was to broaden NATO infrastructure eastwards to include Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Wednesday that Russia will reply to the opening of Redzikowo by “adopting applicable measures to make sure parity.”