President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday that Türkiye and Poland are working to strengthen cooperation as two indispensable NATO allies in Europe’s security and defense architecture.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Ankara with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Erdoğan said strengthening NATO’s European pillar and reinforcing the alliance’s deterrence are shared priorities ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara next month.
Erdoğan said Türkiye remains committed to advancing cooperation with the European Union on the basis of mutual benefit, and thanked Poland for its support for Ankara’s EU membership bid.
On bilateral ties, Erdoğan said Türkiye and Poland have set a new bilateral trade target of $15 billion after reaching their previous goal of $10 billion.
On Palestine, Erdoğan said Ankara expects Poland to maintain its support for a two-state solution, noting that Warsaw is among the countries recognizing the state of Palestine.
Nawrocki also said defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and Poland is indispensable, as he visited Turkish defense company Aselsan’s Golbasi facilities.
Nawrocki was hosted at ASELSAN’s Golbasi Technology Base, according to statements by Türkiye’s Defense Industries Secretariat and ASELSAN.
The Polish president was accompanied by Haluk Gorgun, secretary of Türkiye’s Defense Industries, and Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol.
The delegation was briefed on Türkiye’s domestically developed defense technologies, engineering capabilities and high-tech production infrastructure, including ASELSAN’s systems in electronic warfare, radar, air defense, communications and electro-optics.
Aselsan said Nawrocki emphasized that cooperation between the Turkish and Polish defense industries is indispensable and highly important for both countries.
He said the two countries have been linked as strategic partners for decades, and Poland is ready to build a stronger alliance with Türkiye following a contract signed in 2025.
Nawrocki described Aselsan as a well-established company, founded with the support of the Turkish Armed Forces, underlining Poland’s readiness to maintain dialogue with the Turkish defense firm and share experience.
He also expressed appreciation for Aselsan’s activities in Poland and its cooperation with local partners.
Gorgun said defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and Poland could further strengthen on the basis of the two countries’ NATO alliance.
He said Türkiye introduced its national and indigenous defense technologies, engineering capabilities and high-tech production infrastructure to the Polish president and his delegation.
“We believe that our capabilities, particularly in defense electronics, radar, communications and electro-optic technologies, will make new contributions to defense industry cooperation between our countries, two strong NATO allies,” he added.
Gorgun also thanked Nawrocki and his delegation for their interest in Türkiye’s defense industry.
Aselsan said its solutions in electronic warfare and advanced defense systems have stood out amid accelerating defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and Poland.
The two NATO allies are also evaluating new projects aimed at deepening strategic defense cooperation, including joint production, technology sharing and enhancing operational capabilities.
One of the latest steps in Aselsan’s cooperation with Poland was an export contract worth around $410 million for electronic warfare systems, signed in December 2025.
The agreement highlights the growing role of the Turkish defense industry in European and NATO security, while also reflecting confidence in Aselsan’s high-tech systems compatible with NATO standards.
