Poland Happy About Renewed NATO-Russia Ties

Polish leadership is satisfied with the stepped-up dialogue between NATO and Russia and Russia's growing integration into Europe, Marek M. Siwiec, head of the Polish National Security Bureau, said in opening remarks to a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo in the Kremlin. Rushailo responded by saying he views today's meeting with Poland's leading security policymaker as a further stage in the run-up to the Polish-Russian summit in Warsaw next January. He went on to say Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller's visit to Moscow next month will also contribute to the effort. In light of the intense ongoing war on terror, problems of regional and international security were high on the agenda of the talks with Siwiec. Siwiec noted that dialogue between Russian and Polish law enforcement and other related agencies has intensified significantly over the past two months. He pointed to new and emerging security challenges imposing new demands on the world's policymakers. Siwiec appreciated Russia's fast evolving dialogue with NATO and leading Western powers, which he said Poland has been watching closely. He applauded what he called the new atmosphere of cooperation and said that Poland only stood to gain from this new environment. The Polish official underscored, too, that, apart from being a European country and a NATO member, Poland is Russia's nearest neighbor and is therefore deeply satisfied with Russia's growing engagement in the dialogue and European integration.