Poland will be one of Turkiye's most important allies in Europe: Envoy

WARSAW

Poland will be one of Turkiye’s most important allies in Europe in the near future, Ankara’s envoy to Warsaw said on Friday.

The countries have been making comprehensive efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties, with a particular focus on commerce and tourism, Ambassador Cengiz Kamil Firat said in an interview with Anadolu Agency.

Diplomatic relations that span over 600 years have borne fruit and high-level meetings are in the pipeline, he said.

Trade volume between Turkiye and Poland reached $8.5 billion in 2021, moving ever closer to the target of $10 billion set by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the diplomat.

He said tourism figures between the countries are a good indicator of their strong ties.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Polish tourists in Turkiye dropped to around 150,000 in 2020, but shot up again to 600,000 last year, Firat said.

Turkiye is ready to welcome many more tourists from Poland and it will be the destination of choice for Polish people, he added.

The two countries have made reciprocal investments in various sectors, the envoy said, and there is still great potential in fields such as infrastructure, construction and the defense industry.

Turkish companies are particularly interested in large-scale infrastructure projects in Poland, leading to a growing Turkish investment presence in the country, according to Firat.

“Education is another field of increasing cooperation. We had some 6,000 Turkish students heading to Poland last year, and we are working to ensure that even more Polish students come to Turkiye,” he said.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas