The Polish government has been pushing for several months for the construction of a permanent NATO base on Polish soil, in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis.
“We want to avoid a serious dispute within the alliance,” said John A. Heffern, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, in an interview with the Rzeczpospolita daily.
Although Heffern did not name countries, Germany has opposed the construction of permanent bases.
The 1997 NATO-Russian Pact stipulated that such bases cannot be built in new member states (Poland joined NATO in 1999 with the Czech Republic and NATO, followed by seven more countries in 2004).
However, Heffern has said that NATO will continue its rotational programme of troops within the region.
“We will stay with you for as long as is necessary,” he said.
Missile defence system to go ahead
Meanwhile, Heffern has said that an American missile defence system will still be built in Poland, and that construction should be completed at Redzikowo.
An agreement for a larger system was initially signed in 2008, but the plan was shelved by President Barack Obama's incoming administration.
The US consistently argued that the shield was to protect countries in the region against Iran, although Russian leader Vladimir Putin vigorously opposed the system from the outset.
[M] While this is actual news, I felt it was necessary to establish and explain the existing relationships Poland has with Russia and Germany. While Poland and Germany are both NATO members, they have historically had a touch-and-go relationship with each other.
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[–] JustinTCleary ago
Russia is certainly glad to hear that a complete base will not be built. Although we are still concerned with a missile base. In response 5,000 men will be rebased to Kalingrad and further missile defense systems considered.