President Erdoğan: Turkey will export UAVs to a NATO and EU member state for the first time in its history
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Andrzej Duda of Poland held a joint press conference following their tête-à-tête at the Presidential Complex.
“WE DISCUSSED AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND POLAND”
Noting that their tête-à-tête thoroughly addressed the bilateral relations, President Erdoğan said: “We discussed the ample opportunities for cooperation between Turkey and Poland. We reaffirmed our resolve to make more effective use of the existing joint mechanisms. During my visit to Poland back in 2017, we set a target to reach 10 billion dollars in our bilateral trade volume. It now stands at about 6.5 billion dollars and the talks we had today represent our firm determination to reach a trade volume of 10 billion dollars.”
“WE ARE REPRESENTED BY 7 COMPANIES IN THE LIST OF WORLD’S TOP 100 DEFENSE COMPANIES”
Drawing attention to the longstanding ties between Turkey and Poland that date back to World War II, President Erdoğan pointed out that Turkey moved up to the league of giants in defense industry as a result of the steps it took in the past 19 years. “We are one of the 10 countries capable of designing, building and maintaining our own warships. We are represented by seven companies in the list of world’s top 100 defense companies.”
Underlining that Turkey is also one of the top three or four countries globally in the area of UAVs, President Erdoğan said: “We are highly pleased to share our experience, capabilities and means in this field with Poland as well, our NATO ally. With the document that has just been signed, Turkey will export UAVs to a NATO and EU member state for the first time in its history. I believe that our cooperation in this area will increasingly continue in the period ahead.”
“TURKEY AND POLAND HAVE EXEMPLARY COOPERATION WITHIN NATO”
Describing Turkey as one of the most preferred destinations for Polish tourists, President Erdoğan highlighted that the document signed in the field of tourism would enable safe travel between the two countries. “Our Polish guests can spend their holidays in Turkey with peace of mind.”
Drawing attention to Poland’s support for Turkey’s EU membership, President Erdoğan stated: “We have always felt on our side Poland’s constructive support in order for Turkey’s stance and views to be understood correctly within the Union. Turkey and Poland, which have enjoyed friendly ties throughout history, have a strong and exemplary cooperation within NATO today as well. We maintain our cooperation and contribute to peace for the preservation of the regional and international cooperation architecture. In this regard, we welcome Poland’s dispatch of a maritime patrol aircraft and military mission to Incirlik Airbase under NATO’s assurance measures adapted to Turkey. We, for our part, will soon deploy our F-16 jets to Poland as part of NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing Mission.”
PRESIDENT DUDA OF POLAND TO VISIT POLISH SOLDIERS AT INCIRLIK AIRBASE
President Duda of Poland, for his part, said that his tête-a-tête with President Erdoğan addressed NATO and the implementation of peaceful methods across the world.
Noting that he will pay a visit to the Polish soldiers on duty at Incirlik Airbase tomorrow, President Duda expressed his pleasure over the enhanced cooperation in defense industry between the two countries.
