On Monday, Poland and Türkiye signed a security cooperation agreement in Ankara. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz highlighted that the agreement, inter alia, covers information exchange, joint military exercises, inter-service cooperation, and development of the defence industry.
Poland and Türkiye signed a security cooperation agreement that also involves information exchange and joint military exercises.
The cooperation further encompasses the development of the arms industry, counterintelligence activities, as well as preparations for the 2026 NATO summit.
Poland supports Türkiye in gaining access to European projects and in the EU accession talks.
Agreement signed in Ankara
On Monday, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Poland, met with Yaşar Güler, Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Türkiye, in Ankara. The two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Poland and Türkiye.
In his remarks to journalists, Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the agreement covers several areas of cooperation, from information exchange to joint military exercises, from the development of the arms industry to collaboration between counterintelligence and intelligence services, as well as efforts to enhance the operational capabilities of the armed forces.
Scope of cooperation and plans for the future
"The Government of the Republic of Poland and the Government of the Republic of Türkiye have agreed on a range of intergovernmental cooperation initiatives, with a focus on national defence activities and cooperation within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation," added the Deputy Prime Minister.
He remarked that he would visit Türkiye again next year as part of the strategic dialogue with Ankara. He further added that a meeting on the security architecture of the region’s eastern and southern flanks would take place in Warsaw among Türkiye, Romania, and Poland, and that this architecture would be built on the basis of these three countries. He stated that both meeting formats serve as preparations for the NATO summit to be held in Ankara in July 2026.
Türkiye's importance to Poland and its arms industry
Kosiniak-Kamysz underlined that Türkiye was a very important partner for Poland. He revealed that his meeting with Güler was the longest face-to-face meeting he had ever had with his counterparts. The Minister of National Defence said, "We have evaluated our cooperation in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles very positively. In addition to the TB2, we discussed the possibility of arming it and further developing these capabilities. (...) I thanked Türkiye for its participation in a fair peace process in Ukraine."
Expressing his hope that the visit to Ankara would result in Türkiye purchasing Polish military equipment, the Minister of National Defence said, "At present, the flagship product that we are proud of is the passive location radars produced by PIT-Radwar. The Polish industry should meet the requirements not only of the Polish army, but also of our allies. An arms industry cannot be built solely on the capabilities and procurement of the Polish army. There needs to be export products."
Support for Türkiye in European projects
He stated that he would support Türkiye's efforts to gain access to European projects, including the second edition of the SAFE programme, which is currently under review by the European Commission. He also added that it was in Poland's interest to support efforts to restart negotiations regarding Türkiye's EU membership.