Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Polish President Karol Nawrocki met at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Tuesday to strengthen defense and economic cooperation between the two NATO allies ahead of the upcoming alliance summit.
The state visit focused heavily on reinforcing Europe’s security architecture, with both leaders emphasizing their strategic roles in defending NATO’s flanks. A central pillar of the discussion was defense industry collaboration, highlighted by the Polish armed forces’ active deployment of Turkish-made Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—an acquisition Nawrocki described as a symbol of their close military ties. The presidents also reviewed preparations for the scheduled July 7–8 NATO summit in Ankara.
On the economic front, Erdogan announced that bilateral trade has successfully reached its previous $10 billion target, prompting both nations to establish a new bilateral trade goal of $15 billion. Additionally, Turkish contractors currently manage infrastructure and development projects in Poland valued at approximately $9 billion.
Both heads of state reaffirmed that their burgeoning defense partnership draws strength from more than six centuries of shared diplomatic history, cementing their roles as indispensable strategic partners within the European defense framework.
