Poland is interested in buying French weaponry, especially missile-equipped submarines, officials said after talks between the two countries’ defence ministers.

“We want to conclude this contract as soon as possible, preferably still this year," Poland’s Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said, referring to a possible submarine deal.

He was speaking after talks with France’s Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly in Paris on Wednesday,.

“The strength of the French offer” is that the submarines would come together with cruise missiles as part of a single deal, Macierewicz told Poland’s PAP news agency.

But “there are still details that need to be worked out,” he said. “For example, there has never been a test performed for actually integrating such a missile with a submarine. Only tests on a platform have been conducted that do not accurately reflect real-life conditions on a submarine.”

Still, work on the project “is very advanced, which creates a chance for the purchase to be made,” Macierewicz said, adding that the deal “would be very beneficial to Poland.”

He also suggested that the Polish government was ready for a new chapter in relations with France “although that is not easy" amid a range of thorny issues. (gs/pk)

Source: IAR, PAP