FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Poland became an associate member of the EU and its defensive arm, the Western European Union, in 1994. In the June 2003 national referendum, the Polish people approved EU accession by an overwhelming margin, and Poland gained full membership in May 2004.
Changes since 1989 have redrawn the map of central Europe, and Poland has had to forge relationships with seven new neighbors. Poland has actively pursued good relations, signing friendship treaties replacing links severed by the collapse of the Warsaw Pact. The Poles have forged special relationships with Lithuania and particularly Ukraine in an effort to firmly anchor these states to the West.
Poland became a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in
March 1999 as part of the first wave of enlargement outlined at the July 1997
NATO Summit in Madrid. Poland's top national security goal is to further
integrate with NATO and other west European defense, economic, and political
institutions while modernizing and reorganizing its military. Polish military
doctrine reflects the same defense posture as its Alliance partners.
Poland maintains a sizable armed force currently numbering about 140,572 troops divided among an army of 87,877, an air and defense force of 31,147, and a navy of 21,548. Poland relies on military conscription for the majority of its personnel strength. All males (with some exceptions) are subject to a 12-month term of military service. The Polish military continues to restructure and to modernize its equipment. The Polish Defense Ministry General Staff and the Land Forces staff have recently reorganized the latter into a NATO-compatible J/G-1 through J/G-6 structure. Although budget constraints remain a drag on modernization, Poland has been able to move forward with U.S. assistance on acquiring 48 F-16 multi-role fighters, C-130 cargo planes, HMMWVs, and other items key to the military’s restructuring.
Poland continues to be a regional leader in support and participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and has actively engaged most of its neighbors and other regional actors to build stable foundations for future European security arrangements. Poland continues its long record of strong support for UN Peacekeeping Operations by maintaining a unit in Southern Lebanon, a battalion in NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR), and by providing and actually deploying the KFOR strategic reserve to Kosovo. Polish military forces have served in both Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
U.S.-POLISH
RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with the newly
formed Polish Republic in April 1919. After Gomulka came to power
in 1956, relations with the United States began to improve. However,
during the 1960s, reversion to a policy of full and unquestioning
support for Soviet foreign policy objectives and anti-Semitic
feelings in Poland caused those relations to stagnate. U.S.-Polish
relations improved significantly after Gierek succeeded Gomulka
and expressed his interest in improving relations with the United
States. A consular agreement was signed in 1972.
In 1974
Gierek was the first Polish leader to visit the United States.
This action, among others, demonstrated that both sides wish to
facilitate better relations.
The birth
of Solidarity in 1980 raised the hope that progress would be made
in Poland's external relations as well as in its domestic development.
During this time, the United States provided $765 million in agricultural
assistance. Human rights and individual freedom issues, however,
were not improved upon, and the U.S. revoked Poland's most-favored-nation
(MFN) status in response to the Polish Government's decision to
ban Solidarity. MFN status was reinstated in 1987, and diplomatic
relations were upgraded.
The United States and Poland have enjoyed warm bilateral relations since 1989. Every post-1989 Polish Government has been a strong supporter of continued American military and economic presence in Europe. As well as supporting the Global War on Terror, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and coalition efforts in Iraq, Poland cooperates closely with American diplomacy on such issues as democratization, nuclear proliferation, human rights, regional cooperation in central and eastern Europe, and UN reform.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Lee A. Feinstein
Deputy Chief of Mission--Ken Hillas
Press and Cultural Affairs Counselor--Edward J. Kulakowski
Political Counselor--Mary Curtin
Economic Counselor--Richard Rorvig
Consul General--Lisa Piascik
Management Counselor--Sara Drew
The street address and international mailing address of the U.S. Embassy in Poland is Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31, 00540 Warsaw, Poland; tel: 48-22-504-2000; fax 48-22-504-2688. The Consulate General in Krakow is at Ulica Stolarska 9, 31-043 Krakow, Poland; tel: 48-12-424-5200; fax: 48-12-424-5100; and a Consular Agency in Poznan is at Ulica Paderewskiego 8, 61-708 Poznan, Poland; tel: 48-61-851-8516; fax: 48-61-851-8966.
