Fuat Oktay, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and AK Party Deputy from Ankara, emphasized that the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara will take place at a critical time and that strong messages of unity and solidarity are expected from the summit.
Oktay shared that during the "4th Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Turkey and the Baltic States" held in Tallinn, Estonia, they had intensive meetings over two days.
Close Contacts Between Turkey and Estonia
Oktay noted that high-level relations between Turkey and Estonia are progressing positively, with close cooperation between the governments, states, and parliaments of the two countries.
He mentioned meeting with members of the Estonian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and also meeting with Estonian Parliament Speaker Lauri Hussar within the scope of the upcoming NATO Parliamentary Assembly, where they discussed NATO's agenda and matters related to his visit to Turkey.
Oktay stated that while meetings continued in Tallinn, gatherings were also held under the NB8 format, which brings together Nordic and Baltic countries. The presence of Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Estonia added a special momentum to the discussions.
Concerns About War in the Region and Emphasis on Peace
Oktay drew attention to serious concerns in regional countries, especially Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, due to the Russia-Ukraine War, emphasizing the need to remain calm regardless of how serious the situation is.
He stressed that the solution is not war, should not be war, and will not be war, a message conveyed to Russia, Ukraine, and all Western allies.
Highlighting the importance of unity and solidarity, Oktay said that the worst peace is better than the best war and emphasized the necessity of efforts toward peace and opening new communication channels instead of war.
EU Security, Defense Industry, and Economic Relations
Oktay stated that cooperation within NATO should also be supported at the European Union level, and that excluding Turkey from Europe's defense industry and defense budget efforts while acting together in security is not an appropriate approach.
He noted that economic relations between Turkey and Estonia have also developed, with trade volume exceeding 600 million dollars.
Oktay pointed out that cooperation in the defense industry continues to grow, recalling that last year Turkish companies Otokar and Nurol supplied land vehicles. Additionally, he mentioned a new 300 million dollar agreement related to ARCA and said efforts are underway to implement it.
Cybersecurity and Digitalization
Oktay explained that during the quadrilateral meetings, they received briefings from the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service on developments related to the Ukraine-Russia War and preparations in the Baltic countries, and held comprehensive evaluations with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
He shared that they obtained information from organizations conducting cybersecurity work in Estonia and that the country is carrying out intensive efforts in digitalization. Oktay also noted that similar initiatives are ongoing in Turkey under the Digital Turkey program.
Stating that cybersecurity has become a top priority in Turkey, Oktay said a high-level board and a monitoring, tracking, and strategic coordination mechanism have been established in this field.
Finally, Oktay announced that cooperation in this format will continue and that the next meeting will be held in Ankara next year.
