Erdogan, Latvian president discuss NATO cooperation, Baltic security

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday held a telephone conversation with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics to address bilateral relations and alliance matters, reaffirming Ankara's strategic priority of bolstering security across NATO's Baltic region. During the call, Erdogan said Türkiye attaches great importance to the security of the Baltic region within NATO and has intensified its contributions in this regard, according to a statement by Türkiye's Communications Directorate posted on social media platform X.

The Turkish leader also referenced the recent alliance summit hosted in Ankara, describing the gathering as "historic" for demonstrating solidarity among member states. Erdogan expressed particular satisfaction at having hosted Rinkevics in Ankara for the meeting and voiced hope that the decisions adopted during the summit would yield positive outcomes for the alliance's collective security framework, the directorate noted.

Defense industry cooperation

Erdogan stated his desire to deepen cooperation with Riga across multiple sectors, particularly in the defense industry, signaling potential expansion of military-technical partnerships between the two NATO members. The conversation also addressed regional and global developments of mutual concern, with both presidents agreeing to maintain close consultation on bilateral and alliance matters moving forward.

The exchange reflects ongoing coordination between Türkiye and Latvia within the broader NATO framework, with Ankara continuing to intensify its diplomatic and security contributions across the alliance's eastern flank, according to the Communications Directorate.