Gerald R. Ford photo

Joint Statement Following Talks With First Secretary Gierek of Poland.

July 28, 1975

AS A result of the conversations held by the President of the United States of America, Gerald R. Ford, and the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party, Edward Gierek, both sides agreed to the following Joint Statement.

I.

The President of the United States of America and the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party reaffirm their determination to make their contribution to the consolidation of detente, to the strengthening of international security, and to the development of bilateral relations to their mutual advantage, as defined in the course of their previous meetings and in accordance with the Joint Statement of Principles of United States-Polish Relations of 1974, as well as other agreements concluded by the two countries in recent years.

The President and the First Secretary welcome with satisfaction the convocation of the final stage of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe on July 30th of this year in Helsinki. Both sides consider the convocation of the Conference a positive contribution to the continuing process of international detente and express their hope that it will be regarded as an historic event.

Both sides expressed their will to do all they can so that the results of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, contained in the final document, become a genuine and strong stimulus for positively shaping relations among the participant states. They expressed their confidence that the implementation of the decisions by all the participants of the Conference would contribute to the further strengthening of peace in Europe and developing ever broader, all-round cooperation among them. Both sides are in full agreement that security in Europe is indivisible and that it remains closely linked with peace and security in the world as a whole.

Both sides note that the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe will be followed up by future meetings at the level of representatives appointed by the ministers for foreign affairs of participant states.

In the course of their exchange of views, both sides fully agreed that efforts to strengthen political detente in Europe should be supplemented by a process of military detente. In this context, the United States of America and the Polish People's Republic attach significant importance to the Vienna talks on the Mutual Reduction of Armed Forces and Armament in Central Europe and Associated Measures and expressed their will to achieve progress in these talks.

The Polish side expressed its full support for the dialogue and development of relations between the USA and the USSR--the two states which bear special responsibility for world peace. The Polish side voiced its belief that in particular the talks and the agreements concerning strategic arms limitation strengthen world peace and provide a sound basis for further limitations and reduction of strategic arms.

Both sides presented their respective views on the effectiveness of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and were in agreement as to the fundamental importance of the Treaty for preventing the danger of proliferation of these weapons.

They also considered that the Conference on the Law of the Sea was very important for all countries of the world. Both sides expressed themselves in favor of making all possible efforts to bring this Conference to a successful conclusion next year, keeping in mind the just interests of all states.

They also reviewed matters related to the growing need to develop cooperation among states, notably in the field of raw materials, energy, and food. They reaffirmed their will to act, each side according to its own possibilities and priorities, toward alleviating and solving the existing problems. The two sides agreed that as a result of their bilateral cooperation in selected fields of energy, they can considerably contribute to the solution of these problems to the benefit of their own and other peoples.

The President and the First Secretary expressed themselves in favor of continuing, on all levels, efforts to promote international economic cooperation and to remove barriers and obstacles.

Both sides intend to work toward broadening international scientific cooperation. In this respect, the Polish side pointed to the significance of the Apollo-Soyuz program, seeing in it a symbol of the opportunities arising from joint efforts of nations for the good of all mankind in the era of international detente.

The President and the First Secretary confirmed their support for the United Nations and for the objectives and principles set out in its Charter.

The two sides reaffirmed the usefulness of their contacts and consultations to date and reaffirm their readiness to continue them on various levels and in various forums.

II.

During the talks, the President and the First Secretary reviewed US-Polish bilateral relations, noting with satisfaction the progress achieved, which corresponds to the interests of both nations and is in conformity with the long and rich traditions linking the peoples of the United States and Poland.

The two sides were unanimous in their judgment that the Statements signed on October 8, 1974, during the visit of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party, Edward Gierek, to the United States, constitute a solid foundation for the further strengthening of peaceful and friendly cooperation between the United States and Poland and they were happy to note the successful implementation of the respective economic agreements.

Attaching particular weight to the growth of trade exchanges, both leaders considered a further substantial increase in trade turnover between their two countries to be a feasible, realistic, and desirable goal. Both sides expressed their intention to act jointly in removing difficulties that may arise. They will lend particular support in this respect to the activities of the Joint US-Polish Trade Commission.

Both sides noted the further successful development of financial cooperation between the two countries and recognized its impact on the pace and scope of industrial co-production. They are resolved to encourage further cooperation between the firms and enterprises of both sides.

Emphasizing the great role of scientific and technical cooperation, both sides appraised positively the work done so far in putting into effect the Agreement on Funding of Cooperation in Science and Technology. They also expressed their support for its further expansion, especially in such fields as coal mining and coal processing, the protection of the environment, and transportation.

The two leaders also attached importance to the longstanding tradition of cooperation in the field of health protection, drugs, and biological materials. Under the program, joint research will be continued, including such fields as oncology, health problems related to food and drugs, and planning, delivery, and evaluation of health services, especially those to mothers and children.

The two sides believe that there exist broad possibilities that the traditional field of cooperation between both countries--trade in agricultural products--be broadened and supplemented by scientific and technical cooperation in agriculture, particularly in stockbreeding, production of fodders, technology of food preservation, and production of high-quality varieties of protein.

Mindful of the importance of the rational use of the food resources of the oceans, both sides will continue to cooperate in the field of fishing and maritime economy.

In seeking to broaden relations and contacts between the peoples of the United States and Poland, both sides shall continue to encourage tourism between them. They expressed their interest in further facilitating and developing air transportation between the two countries.

Both sides will encourage and facilitate all exchanges of people between the two nations in order that they may contribute to broader relations and better understanding. They will continue to promote cultural exchanges and will encourage further contacts and cooperation between civic, scientific, sports, and youth organizations, as well as between cities of both countries.

Both sides stressed the significance of historical traditions for the strengthening of friendship between the two nations. They pointed to the positive role played by Americans of Polish extraction in the enrichment of relations between the United States and Poland.

Both sides agreed that, in the spirit of the traditional friendship between the two nations, they will continue their efforts to solve humanitarian problems affecting their citizens.

III.

The President of the United States and the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party expressed their profound satisfaction with the conversations they held and voiced their conviction that the results of these talks will be of great significance for further American-Polish cooperation.

Warsaw, July 28, 1975

GERALD R. FORD

President of the United States of America

EDWARD GIEREK

First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party

Note: The joint statement was signed in a ceremony at the Parliament Building in Warsaw following a meeting between the President and the First Secretary.

Gerald R. Ford, Joint Statement Following Talks With First Secretary Gierek of Poland. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256481

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