By Bosphorus News Defense Desk
Türkiye and Moldova held their first defense industry cooperation meeting in Ankara, opening a formal channel for possible joint projects, industrial partnerships and work on advanced technologies.
Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugeniu Osmochescu attended the meeting with Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatîi during a working visit to Türkiye.
The delegation met Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Secretary of Defence Industries Haluk Görgün.
Moldova's Economic Development and Digitalization Ministry said the talks covered regional security, investment, defense technologies and potential industrial cooperation.
The programme included working meetings and presentations at several Turkish defense companies. The ministry did not name the firms or disclose which systems were examined.
No procurement agreement, technology transfer programme or joint production plan was announced.
The two sides also discussed expanding cooperation under NATO's Defence and Related Security Capacity Building Initiative.
Moldova is not a NATO member and maintains constitutional neutrality, but it works with the alliance on defense reform, training and institutional development.
The Ankara meeting gives both governments a formal channel to examine possible projects. Any deeper cooperation will depend on whether the talks lead to named programmes, financing arrangements or procurement decisions.
The visit also included a broader economic agenda. Türkiye and Moldova agreed to begin talks on further expanding their free trade agreement after the Moldovan parliament ratified earlier amendments to the deal in February.
Türkiye's Trade Ministry said bilateral trade exceeded $1 billion in 2025. Turkish investment in Moldova stands at $53 million, and 1,154 Turkish companies operate in the country.
Moldovan companies have invested about $2 million in Türkiye through 278 registered businesses. Turkish contractors have completed 55 projects in Moldova worth a combined $756 million.
The talks remain exploratory. Neither government has identified a platform Moldova intends to acquire or a Turkish company selected for a future programme.
Sources: Moldova's Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, Türkiye's Trade Ministry, Moldova's Foreign Ministry, Bosphorus News review and reporting.