Türkiye and France set first defense meeting for late 2026

Türkiye and France will hold their first defense meeting in late 2026

NATO allies Türkiye and France have signed a roadmap placing their defense relations on a regular meeting schedule. Officials from the two countries will meet alternately in Paris and Ankara, with the first meeting set for the final quarter of 2026.

Scraper SystemOctober 09, 2026, 12:38 PM

Türkiye and France will hold their first defense meeting in late 2026

NATO allies Türkiye and France have signed a roadmap placing their defense and security relations on a regular schedule. Under the document, defense officials from the two countries will meet alternately in Paris and Ankara, with the first meeting to be held by mutual agreement in the final quarter of 2026.

The details were disclosed at the weekly press briefing held by the Ministry of National Defence at the Gölcük Naval Shipyard Command in Kocaeli.

From air defense to joint exercises

The roadmap covers cooperation against hybrid threats, intelligence sharing and efforts to strengthen interoperability between air defense systems. The plans also include joint exercises involving land, naval and air forces; personnel exchanges between military academies; port visits; and the coordination of training activities in third countries that will contribute to regional stability.

Hexagone Balard building, Paris (archive)

In the defense industry, the two countries also aim to increase contacts between their companies and pursue joint projects and technology transfers. The document is expected to strengthen mutual trust and contribute to regional stability.

Mecca Alliance and southern Syria

At the same briefing, the Ministry of National Defence also addressed the meeting of the Strategic, Political and Defense Committee of the Mecca Defense Alliance, comprising Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, held in Riyadh on October 5. The meeting established the alliance secretariat's initial structure and discussed measures to be taken regarding the military forces and capabilities to be deployed in Saudi Arabia. The ministry said the process concerning Türkiye's contribution would be conducted in accordance with the Constitution and relevant legislation.

Zeki Aktürk, the Ministry of National Defence's press spokesperson, said Israel's resumption of trench-digging and road-widening work under a project known as the Sufa-53 Line in southern Syria was a clear violation of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement of Forces, and called on the international community to take concrete action.

Türkiye and France will hold their first defense meeting in late 2026