Poland and Norway sign declaration on deepening security ties

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland and Norway have signed a declaration on deepening security cooperation, including joint defence production, strengthening NATO’s northern and eastern flanks, and continuing to support Ukraine.

“In a world where the international order, laws and principles are being violated by the world’s biggest players, Poland and Norway show how partnership can be built on shared values and interests,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, alongside his Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Støre.

The two leaders signed a declaration on strategic partnership during a visit by a Norwegian delegation to the Warsaw Security Forum, where Norway is this year’s partner country. The agreement sets out a framework for closer long-term cooperation between the two countries.

Among the commitments made by the two countries are “deeper operational cooperation” and expanding joint procurement and production between their respective defence industries.

Warsaw and Oslo also pledged to work together on strengthening NATO’s eastern and northern flanks, as well as to coordinate responses to cyberattacks, hybrid operations and foreign information manipulation.

“The point is that Europe should take on greater responsibility for security,” said Støre. “We must invest in it more coherently and consistently, so as to avoid duplication, but invest in such a way that regional defence systems are stronger.”

The declaration also promises continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia, as well as efforts to ensure a just and lasting peace and to “hold Russia accountable for its war of aggression”.

Although security issues dominate the declaration, the two countries also pledged to deepen economic ties, including in the energy and maritime sectors.

Robin Allers, a scholar at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the move to sign the declaration with Poland was part of a broader Norwegian strategy to deepen mutual commitments with key NATO partners amid uncertainty over US engagement in Europe.

“Today’s agreement demonstrates your country’s increasingly important role in Europe,” said Allers, pointing to Poland’s growing economic and military strength, as well as its role in supporting Ukraine.

Poland has in recent years also moved to strengthen its ties with countries around the Baltic Sea. This year, Polish and Norwegian companies announced plans to develop a new anti-drone system for Poland in the wake of incursions of Russian drones into Polish airspace.

Last year, Norway opened a facility in Poland, Camp Jomsborg, for training Ukrainian military personnel. In January, it was announced that Poland will manufacture missiles for rocket artillery systems that Norway is purchasing from South Korea. Norway has already bought Piorun air-defence systems from Poland.

The two countries also have close energy ties. In 2022, the Baltic Pipe began delivering Norwegian gas to Poland, helping the country reduce its reliance on Russian supplies. Norway’s Equinor is also involved in developing one of Poland’s first offshore wind farms in the Baltic.

Poland has also moved closer in recent years to Sweden, with which it signed a strategic partnership in 2024. The two countries subsequently held their first bilateral military exercises in the Baltic, and Poland this year ordered three submarines from Swedish manufacturer Saab.

Last year, at Poland’s suggestion, NATO launched a new military mission to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

On Monday this week, Norway’s defence ministry announced that Poland will join an initiative recently launched by 11 European countries and Canada to cooperate more closely on security in the North Atlantic, Arctic and Baltic Sea.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Kancelaria Premiera / Flickr.com (under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is deputy editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She has written for Clean Energy Wire and The Times, and she hosts her own podcast, The Warsaw Wire, on Poland’s economy and energy sector. She previously worked for Reuters.