“I hope that our consultations will be fruitful,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wrote, thanking President Karol Nawrocki for his visit. A video from the meeting between the two leaders was published on the Turkish president’s official account.
The presidents of Poland and Turkey met on Tuesday in Ankara as part of Nawrocki’s ongoing official visit to Turkey. Nawrocki stressed that Turkey is one of Poland’s most important partners, a proven ally in NATO, and a country that plays a significant role in ensuring Europe’s security, particularly in the Black Sea region.
“I thank the President of Poland, Mr. Karol Nawrocki, for his visit to our country, and I hope that our consultations will be fruitful,” President Erdoğan later wrote.
The nearly one-minute video shows the course of President Nawrocki’s visit to the Turkish capital.
Erdoğan reported that during his meeting with Nawrocki, the two leaders discussed, among other issues, trade between Poland and Turkey, which, as he said, had exceeded the threshold of USD 10 billion annually, a target set by both countries. He said the talks covered trade, investment, the defence industry and energy. He stressed that both countries would work to increase bilateral trade turnover. Erdoğan noted that Poland is among the countries where Turkish construction companies are most active and expressed hope that the number of projects in this field would continue to grow. He also pointed to transport as another area of cooperation with major potential, underlining in this context the importance of the Three Seas Initiative, for which Turkey, as he emphasised, is a strategic partner.
He also spoke about Turkey’s aspirations regarding cooperation with the European Union. “We always stress that we want to develop cooperation with the European Union on the basis of mutual benefit and respect. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Poland for supporting Turkey’s accession process to the European Union,” the Turkish president said. “And I hope this support will continue,” he added.
Erdoğan identified bilateral cooperation in the defence industry as a key topic. “We have implemented many partnership projects, both in the field of unmanned systems and other defence projects. We are allies in NATO, and our countries play an indispensable role in the European security architecture. We are constantly working to strengthen this cooperation,” Erdoğan stated.
He also spoke about strengthening bilateral relations with Poland in the fields of education, culture, science and tourism.
Erdoğan noted that the talks also covered geopolitical and security issues, including NATO, the strengthening of its “European pillar and deterrence capabilities,” and preparations for the upcoming Alliance summit in Ankara.
“We consider it important to strengthen the transatlantic bond, including by our European allies assuming greater responsibility,”
Erdoğan said.
He added that the talks also addressed the situation in Iran and Palestine, and expressed satisfaction that Poland supports a two-state solution on the latter issue.