Poland sees important role for Türkiye on European security
Serkan Demirtaş - WARSAW
Türkiye, as the second largest army in NATO, will surely contribute significantly to the formation of the new European security structure, a senior Polish official has stressed, noting that defense cooperation and security matters will be discussed in Warsaw during an informal EU meeting with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
At a meeting with a group of Turkish journalists in Warsaw, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Anna Radwan explained the priorities of Poland's EU term presidency and how it sees relations with Türkiye.
“Poland’s term presidency of the EU is crucially important for both strategically and in term of the EU’s policies. Our main priority is the security in Europe,” Radwan said, referring to the geopolitical changes experienced in the continent after the full-scale war staged by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022.
The Polish term presidency prioritizes seven dimensions of security, including external, internal, information, economic, energy, food and health, she stated.
“We are emphasizing the need for our EU partners to increase defense expenditures. This has been our policy for a long time. We have enormously increased our defense spending in the past 10 years,” Radwan underlined, informing that Poland spends around 4.7 percent of its GDP on defense.
"We are showing a good leadership to this end in this part of the Europe."
Sanctions on Russia
One important aspect for the security of Ukraine is the continued implementation of sanctions against Russia, the deputy foreign minister said, adding Brussels and Warsaw are currently drafting the 16th sanctions package.
Radwan highlighted that the EU is also trying to increase its capabilities in terms of cybersecurity, as Russia is conducting a hybrid war for the destabilization of European states.
All these issues concerning European security will be discussed at the EU’s informal meeting, dubbed the Gymnich, at the foreign ministers' level in Warsaw on May 7 and 8, to which Fidan is also invited.
On a question about potential Turkish participation in a post-war military mechanism, Radwan said, “We are sure that Türkiye, as the second largest army of NATO, will have an important role.”
She further emphasized Poland's support for Turkey's participation in the future defense cooperation framework across Europe, referencing remarks made by Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski during a parliamentary address a few weeks ago. He stated: “We are also counting on Türkiye, which plays a strategic role in the Black Sea region and the eastern part of the Mediterranean. It is in the interest of the Polish state for Türkiye, which has the second-largest number of military personnel in NATO, to take greater part in European support for Ukraine after ceasefire.”
Radwan also praised the ongoing bilateral military cooperation with Türkiye, stressing that joint military drills and training cover an important part of this partnership between the two allies.
Poland’s success based on democracy, human rights
Poland attaches importance to its ties with Türkiye, and it demonstrated this during Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s visit to Ankara in March, the deputy foreign minister stated.
The Polish government is also supporting Türkiye’s accession to the EU and is closely following this process, she underlined.
On a question about the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other senior opposition figures, Radwan said she is not totally informed about the actual political developments in Türkiye but recalled that anti-democratic incidents always create suspicions and concerns in the European Union.
“Poland has an important experience. Poland’s success in the past 30 years comes from its commitment to upholding and protecting democracy and human rights,” she said, underlining the importance of holding free, fair and democratic elections in all countries, including Türkiye.
