Ankara: Poland's foreign minister on Wednesday called upon NATO countries to enhance collaboration, citing the defense partnership between Ankara and Warsaw as an exemplary model. "I hope that we will emerge from this summit convinced that we need one another's industries to step up production," Radoslaw Sikorski told Anadolu while attending the NATO summit in the Turkish capital.

According to Anadolu Agency, Sikorski emphasized the necessity for allies to fulfill the defense spending commitments established at the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague. He highlighted that all allies, except Spain, have agreed to allocate 5% of their GDP annually towards defense and security-related sectors by 2035. This allocation includes 3.5% for core defense needs and 1.5% for broader security endeavors such as civil preparedness, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and defense industry resilience. NATO framed this decision as a response to the increasing security threats, especially in light of Russia's actions in Ukraine and concerns over the alliance's deterrence capabilities.

Sikorski noted that Poland is setting a precedent by allocating 4.8% of its GDP to defense, while Trkiye boasts one of the largest armies and defense budgets within NATO. Highlighting the strategic importance of Ankara and Warsaw, Sikorski remarked, "If everybody followed us, we would be as powerful as we were during the Cold War." He also acknowledged the geographical proximity of Trkiye and Poland to crisis-prone regions, which fosters a mutual understanding of security challenges.

Discussing future collaboration, Sikorski identified defense industry advancements, emerging warfare technologies, and enhanced military coordination as key areas for development. He mentioned Poland's early acquisition of Bayraktar drones from Trkiye as a successful example of such cooperation. Poland was the first NATO member to purchase 24 Bayraktar drones in 2021, integrating them into its military inventory by 2022. Additionally, Sikorski highlighted ongoing partnerships in short-range anti-aircraft missiles and radar satellite technology.

Sikorski also referenced a meeting in Ankara, initiated by Poland and Italy, which convened the E5-a group consisting of Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Trkiye, and the EU. He described this gathering as a significant platform representing Europe's major regions and stressed the importance of maintaining this dialogue. "That's the group of larger countries that represent all the regions of Europe ... We feel that's a circle well worth maintaining, and we had a very productive meeting," he concluded.