Polish President Karol Nawrocki said on Polish Armed Forces Day that they will soon become the first NATO armed force in Europe, the Polish news agency PAP reported, quoted by BTA.
He addressed the crowd at “Josef Piłsudski“ Square in Warsaw on the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the victorious Battle of Warsaw for Poland, which helped protect Poland's newly gained independence and consolidate the democratic order throughout Europe.
“Taking care of our independence is our most important task today... We must make every effort and use all measures to make Poland secure, to make the Polish Armed Forces develop and modernize, and to increase the number of Polish troops“, added Nawrocki.
The Polish head of state pointed out that “in the short term, Poland should have the first-strongest NATO army in Europe, not the third“, and stated that he would spare no effort to achieve this goal.
Speaking of the Battle of Warsaw, he stated that Poland then won thanks to the unity not only of political parties, but also thanks to the unity of all social groups, including farmers, students, soldiers and volunteers.
He added that August 15 has always awakened the spirit of freedom and victory in the Polish people, and in 1920 Poland defeated Soviet and Bolshevik anti-civilization.
“This was a victory for Poland, for Europe and for the world“, emphasized Nawrocki, adding that it left a beautiful and important lesson for the Polish people.
He stated that he would demand that negotiations on Poland's defense spending be terminated and that the decision to increase it to 5% of gross domestic product be taken immediately, as Poland's security requires it.
The Polish President announced that he would support all legislative and official measures leading to the construction of ammunition production facilities in the country.
“Poland should be able to produce one million 155-millimeter artillery shells and half a million tank shells per year. We must have our own ammunition“, he said.
Nawrocki also said that he wanted to sign an inter-party agreement with the country's Prime Minister on the country's security.
“We must, together with the government, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister (who is also the Minister of Defense, PAP note), focus on the main documents of the national security strategy“, he said, adding that when defining this strategy, only Poland's state interest should be taken into account.
August 15th was the Day of the Polish Armed Forces between 1923 and 1947, and was declared as such again in 1992. This is the date of Poland's unexpected but important victory over the Red Army in the Battle of Warsaw. After the subsequent Polish offensive in the east, the Soviets demanded a cessation of hostilities and an armistice was signed in October 1920.