The United States and Poland have a centuries-old friendship and partnership based on shared values and interests, strong people-to-people ties, and mutual respect. Today we reaffirm the values that both our nations hold dear, especially democracy, the rule of law, individual liberties and freedoms, and free, fair, and reciprocal trade.
The COVID-19 pandemic further underscores the importance of these values and the urgency to defend and promote them. The United States and Poland, in concert with other Allies and like-minded partners, will work together to rebuild our economies to be stronger, more resilient, and more closely integrated; protect our critical infrastructure and technology; and diversify our supply chains. We will also join efforts to combat disinformation, especially historical truths relating to WWII.
The United States and Poland were proud to help one another through the COVID-19 pandemic, and we pledge to continue our close cooperation as we work to find therapeutics and vaccines. We also underscore the importance of transparency, information-sharing, and free and functioning international organizations in the prevention of future pandemics.
Recognizing our strategic partnership, the United States and Poland continue to deepen our defense cooperation, including by further implementing the Joint Declarations of June 12, 2019, and September 23, 2019, and developing plans to bolster United States-Poland military ties and United States defense and deterrence capabilities in Poland. We reaffirm our commitment to invest in our defense capabilities and fair burden-sharing to strengthen transatlantic security and cooperation through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and to ensure the effective deterrence and defense of NATO’s Eastern flank. The United States and Poland continue to work together as Poland modernizes its Armed Forces, including through state-of-the-art United States equipment.
Underscoring that energy security is national security, the United States and Poland are promoting energy diversification, free energy markets, and enhanced cooperation. We are especially pleased to partner on supplying Poland with United States Liquefied Natural Gas and to begin a new chapter of our energy cooperation by partnering to develop Poland’s civil nuclear power sector.
The United States and Poland reiterate our support for the Three Seas Initiative, which will enhance regional energy, transportation, and information connectivity between the Adriatic, Black, and Baltic Seas through transparent, market-based, and fair investments, thereby boosting economic growth and reinforcing democratic values. We are proud to have pledged substantial funding to implement this important initiative and call on others to join us.
Free, fair, and reciprocal trade has enabled our nations and the world to grow prosperous, has powered innovation and development, and has created millions of jobs. We are proud that trade between the United States and Poland has grown by more than 50 percent since 2016 and commit to jointly fight against abusive trade practices. We will also continue to promote increased trade and investment, especially in modern technologies.
Our two nations share a strong belief in privacy and individual freedoms and the importance of securing our telecommunications systems. We therefore reaffirm our Joint Declaration of September 2, 2019, and commit to cooperate in the development of next-generation technology solutions and to use only secure and trusted providers, equipment, and supply chains in our 5G networks. To advance this aim, we will collaborate on promoting innovation for a diverse supply chain of trusted 5G vendors.
