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Poland to become first EU country to import Turkish drones after agreeing deal with Ankara

Poland has agreed to purchase 24 attack drones from Turkey, becoming the first EU state and NATO member to sign such a deal with Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

The contract, first announced by Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak over the weekend, was officially confirmed during President Andrzej Duda’s visit to Turkey on Monday.

“We are one of the best three, four countries in the world” when it comes to UAVs, Erdogan said during a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart in Ankara.

“We’re really happy to share this experience, capability and opportunities with our NATO ally,” he said, adding that the sale of two dozen Bayraktar TB2 drones to Warsaw will boost the Turkish defense industry.

Duda called Turkey his country’s “strongest ally” in the region, and expressed confidence that the two states can fend off any “inside or outside” threats while working together as part of NATO.

TB2 drones have been used by Turkey in its military operations in Syria and Libya, as well as during last year’s conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, in which Ankara supported the Azeris. The hardware has also been sold to Ukraine, Qatar and Azerbaijan.

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