Mosbacher went on to express pleasure at seeing US soldiers standing arm-in-arm with Polish troops and said it showed the two countries' cooperation. Tomasz Waszczuk/PAP

Poland and the United States are leaders when it comes to guaranteeing peace in Europe, US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher said on Monday in Giżycko (northeastern Poland), where she was attending a Polish-American military picnic.

During the event, the US ambassador said that last week the United States celebrated its 243rd anniversary of independence, and just as Poland helped the USA many years ago, so the United States is now engaged in the development of democratic Poland.

Mosbacher went on to express pleasure at seeing US soldiers standing arm-in-arm with Polish troops and said it showed the two countries' cooperation. Commenting on the long history of strong ties between Poland and the USA, Mosbacher also recalled the signing last month by the two countries' presidents of a declaration on increasing the US military presence in Poland. She said the deployment in Poland was also planned of US Air Force assets with intelligence capabilities as well as the enhancement of defence capacity.

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, also present at the event, said the Polish armed forces needed modern equipment, an example of which he highlighted as the Rak self-propelled 120mm mortar system, which he was there to present to the 15th Giżycko Mechanised Brigade. He added that his goal was to increase the Polish army's troop numbers, hence the 'Become a soldier of the Republic' recruitment campaign, as well as technical modernisation of the armed forces, the strongest possible position within NATO and, especially, strengthened relations with the United States.