The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Mr. Jerzy Buzek, signed the following declaration on cooperation, after their breakfast meeting at Oslo Airport Gardermoen today:

“Norway and Poland enjoy excellent bilateral relations. Our long-standing bonds have been strengthened during the last decade, and today we work closely together as European partners and allies in NATO. Our commercial relations are expanding.

We, the Prime Ministers of Norway and Poland, have met today to mark a new and important chapter in our bilateral co-operation. We welcome the agreement signed by the Polish Oil and Gas Company and its Norwegian counterparts on the supply of natural gas from Norway to Poland on a long-term basis. As we expressed in our Joint Statement, signed in Warsaw on 3 July 2000, it is our view that supply of natural gas from Norway to Poland will be of mutual benefit and will enhance co-operation between our two nations in the energy industry and the environmental fields.

The agreement will provide for the supply of natural gas over a period of 16 years from the year 2008. It also contributes to the future diversification of natural gas supplies to Poland in accordance with Polish energy policy.

The agreement furthermore paves the way for the building of a dedicated pipeline from the North Sea to Poland. Such a pipeline would contribute to the supply of natural gas to the Baltic Sea region as a whole.

Today’s agreement will also provide a basis for further co-operation in the energy field with other countries. We declare a common Norwegian-Polish desire to strengthen the integration of the Baltic Sea states into this co-operation.

We are confident that the Norwegian-Polish agreement will be conducive to the development of economic relations between our two countries. It will also bring economic benefits to other areas of the region increasing competition in the energy sector, and as such will serve to strengthen security and stability in Europe.

The agreement should also encourage expanded co-operation in areas such as culture, education and research.

The enlargement of the European Union will be a key contribution to peace and stability in Europe.

Norway and Poland will enjoy even closer bilateral contacts in the future, when Poland joins the Europan Union, becomes a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area and thus our two countries become partners in the Single Market. We look forward to continuing the close contact in NATO, supporting the Open Door policy of NATO, the co-operation between NATO and the European Union in building common European security, and dialogue within the framework of the United Nations.

We, the Prime Ministers, have thus agreed to strengthen the direct relations between our offices and expand the political dialogue between our Governments.

Oslo, 3 September 2001

Jens Stoltenberg Jerzy Buzek

Prime Minister of Prime Minister of the
the Kingdom of Norway Republic of Poland“