Polish, German presidents at NATO Multinational Corps Northeast

Polish President Andrzej Duda and German President Joachim Gauck on Monday visited the headquarters of the NATO Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin (north-west Poland).

PAP © 2016 / Marcin Bielecki / Szczecin, 28.11.2016. Prezydent RP Andrzej Duda (L) i prezydent Niemiec Joachim Gauck (P) podczas ceremonii powitania w kwaterze głównej Wielonarodowego Korpusu Północno-Wschodniego w Szczecinie, 28 bm. Prezydenci Niemiec i Polski zwiedzą m.in. stanowisko dowodzenia Korpusu NATO i porozmawiają z żołnierzami tam służącymi. (kru/mr) PAP/Marcin Bielecki PAP © 2016 / Marcin Bielecki

The presidents were given an official welcome by a Polish and German guard of honour as well as a Polish orchestra.

The plan of the visit includes a meeting of the two presidents, a presentation on the Corps and a tour of the command post.

Following the decisions of the NATO summit in Newport (2014), the Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin is raising its readiness status from Low to High Readiness Force Headquarters. Its task is to respond to security challenges occurring on NATO's eastern flank, with a special focus on Poland, the Baltic States, Slovakia and Hungary.

The Corps is the only NATO unit with a specified territorial responsibility which covers the eastern flank of the Alliance, in Particular Poland and the three Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Currently there are 25 countries represented in the Corps, including the United States and NATO non-members Finland and Sweden. (PAP)

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