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Türkiye's recent support to Baltic countries demonstrates the importance Ankara places on regional security, a Polish expert said.
Dr. Karol Wasilewski, head of the Türkiye, Caucasus, and Central Asia Department at the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw, stated that Ankara's deployment of an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft to Lithuania to protect Baltic airspace is an important sign of solidarity.
Türkiye sent an important signal that it views the security of NATO's eastern flank as a vital priority, Wasilewski told state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday. He said Türkiye has the capacity to strengthen the Baltic states' stance against Russia by participating more actively in NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission.
"Türkiye's recent support to Lithuania, Romania and Poland shows the importance Ankara places on security in the region," Wasilewski said.
Wasilewski stated that Poland expresses its desire to further strengthen defense cooperation with Türkiye at every opportunity, noting that this focus is mostly on joint ammunition production.
Highlighting the potential for defense cooperation, Wasilewski noted that Poland's capabilities in the Baltic Sea could pique Turkish interest.
"I believe that Poland's unmanned systems, such as submarine and electronic warfare capabilities in the Baltic Sea, may be attractive to Türkiye's defense sector," Wasilewski said.
"Poland can be one of the 'joint production centers' as a symbol of deep cooperation with Türkiye in the future," he added.
Wasilewski said Türkiye-Poland defense cooperation could deepen in areas such as joint production, technology transfer and competency exchange, noting it would be beneficial cooperation for both countries' defense capacities.
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Wasilewski emphasized that Türkiye's recent contributions to the Baltic states have eliminated the perception that Ankara prioritizes Black Sea security, noting that this perception historically stemmed from Türkiye's reservations about NATO updating its defense plans for Poland and the Baltic countries.
He said this change could form a basis for significantly strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
"Considering the current security environment, Baltic countries have to make a significant increase in security and defense spending," Wasilewski said.
"In the context of this increase, I believe Türkiye's defense sector is in a unique position," he added.
Wasilewski noted that Türkiye's active participation could support the region's air surveillance system capabilities.
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