Minister of Defense of Ukraine and Minister of Finance and Treasury of the Republic of Turkey signed the Agreement on cooperation

February 3, Kyiv, following the negotiations of delegations headed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the General Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Turkey was signed.

The General Agreement between the Governments of Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey on defense cooperation, signed by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andrii Zagorodniuk and the Minister of Finance and Treasury of the Republic of Turkey Dr. Berat Albayrak will promote cooperation between countries in a defense sphere on the basis of reciprocity. The agreement establishes legal grounds for expanding of Ukrainian-Turkish defense cooperation.

The conclusion of the deal will have a positive effect on the defense capability of Ukraine, the development of its defense-industrial complex and the Armed Forces, as well as the possibility of starting new relevant directions and forms of cooperation between the countries.

Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andrii Zagorodniuk emphasized that cooperation in the defense-industrial and military spheres between Ukraine and Turkey is based on friendly relations, constructive dialogue, mutual respect and is an important component of strategic partnership between the states. Cooperation in the field of armaments and military equipment is one of the key elements of the development of defense capabilities of both countries.

"Taking this opportunity, I want to express words of gratitude to Turkey for the comprehensive assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This concerns the issues of rehabilitation of Ukrainian servicemen and their families. Since 2016, 800 Ukrainians have been rehabilitated on a free basis in Turkey. We are also grateful for the assistance in the professional training of Ukrainian servicemen in the educational institutions of the Turkish Republic, as well as for the material and technical assistance for the development of a defense capability of Ukraine", noted Andrii Zagorodniuk. "We are looking forward to developing cooperation aimed to enhance security in the region by exchanging information on the naval situation in the Black Sea region, as well as enhancing air defense capabilities through joint participation in the NATO Air Situational Data Exchange Program with the Armed Forces of the Turkish Republic".

The Minister of Defense stressed that work on the implementation of the arrangements of the Commission’s meeting had already begun.

"A visit of the delegation of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and representatives of defense industry enterprises to Turkey is planned in the near future", Andrii Zagorodniuk said. "In March, we will have the honor of receiving the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Turkey with an official visit to Kyiv and we will discuss the first steps towards the practical implementation of provisions of this Agreement".