Poland views Türkiye ‘key' in defense, supports its EU accession, says senior Polish official

Warsaw views Ankara as a key player in the defense industry and supports its EU accession, Polish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Anna Radwan-Rohrenschef said during a recent meeting with a delegation of Turkish journalists visiting Poland.

Polish politicians, academics, and think-tank representatives expressed support for Türkiye's EU membership, discussed defense and security issues, and Poland-Türkiye relations during meetings held as part of a press tour organized by the EU Delegation to Türkiye and the Polish Embassy in Ankara.

The EU refrains from applying religion-related criteria when seeking partners and instead considers economic, political, and value-related factors, Radwan-Rohrenschef said, noting that Poland is facilitating Türkiye's EU accession, but Ankara must also do its part. "It takes two to tango."

She said the current period is significant for Poland because the country has been chairing the Presidency of the EU Council since the beginning of the year, with the motto "Security, Europe!" ensuring Ukraine's security as its top priority.

She pointed out that Poland has been vocal about increasing defense spending, and she encouraged other EU countries to follow suit.

Radwan-Rohrenschef emphasized Türkiye's tourism potential, citing its rich heritage and cuisine, and said the country receives approximately 1.8 million Polish visitors.

She mentioned the informal foreign ministers' meeting, also known as the Gmynich meeting, which will be held in Poland on May 7-8, and encouraged Turkish participation.

Janusz Reiter, founder and chairman of the Polish think tank Center for International Relations (CSM), said during the Turkish press tour that Poland had been experiencing its "happiest" period in 36 years, but that all changed with the escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and it is unclear what will happen during US President Donald Trump's second term, emphasizing the need to increase defense spending.

Reiter said the Polish people do not want to leave the EU or have a conflict with it, pointing out that Poland lacks the necessary defense capabilities to defend itself against Russia. He declared that Türkiye is a "key country" for the security of the EU, particularly Ukraine.

Kamil Zajaczkowski, director of the University of Warsaw (UW) Center for Europe and associate at the CSM, said security cooperation needs to be discussed to develop a European defense policy within NATO, as Türkiye becomes increasingly more important in defense due to its capabilities, and NATO member states seek to spend more money to improve their defense capabilities.

Danuta Chmielowska, assistant professor at the UW Faculty of Humanities, said Poland has supported Türkiye's EU accession for some time now, noting that Türkiye and Central Asia are important countries to the EU.

She mentioned that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's policies so far have been important in Türkiye's role in the Russia-Ukraine War.

Artur Kacprzyk, an analyst at the International Security Program at the Poland-based think tank Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), said Türkiye holds the second-largest army in NATO, which makes it a critical country in ensuring security due to its military potential and control over access to the Black Sea.

Aleksandra Maria Spancerska, chief Türkiye analyst at the PISM, said Poland deems Türkiye as a strong country in the military field, especially with its homegrown Baykar Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). “Even some songs have been composed about the Bayraktar UAVs in Ukraine,” she added.