Slovakia and Turkey discuss joint tank development and defence cooperation at NATO summit

President Peter Pellegrini met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara during the NATO summit and said the two countries are moving their strategic partnership toward concrete projects. They discussed a joint program to develop and produce a new tank, deeper cooperation in the SAFE defence programme, and broader collaboration in energy and nuclear waste management. Trade between Slovakia and Turkey has risen over 40 % to about €4 billion, with a target of €5 billion.

At the same summit, President Pellegrini stressed Slovakia’s reliable contribution to NATO, highlighting its leading role in large‑calibre ammunition production and plans to offer technology and capacity to alliance partners. He announced that Slovakia will not financially join the €70 billion military aid package for Ukraine but will continue humanitarian, logistical and energy assistance, and will deploy F‑16 aircraft to Baltic air‑policing from 2027.

Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár also held talks in Ankara with Slovene foreign minister Tone Kajzer and with Ukrainian representative Andrij Sybih, covering security, economic ties and regional formats such as V4 and C5. Both leaders reiterated a shared view that military conflicts should be resolved diplomatically and praised Turkey’s mediation role in the Ukraine war.