The Balkans have long been a battleground for influence between NATO allies and outside powers, and Turkey’s deepening military ties with these states signal its intention to play a more active role in Regional security dynamics. The agreements have been fast-tracked to the Turkish Parliament’s agenda, unlike similar military packages that usually go through a longer review process.
Turkey is set to ratify military framework agreements signed with three Balkan states, a move that will further strengthen Ankara’s military presence in the Region while extending its strategic influence around Greece.
The agreements, signed in 2024 with Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, come at a time when geopolitical tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean are high. Greece has expressed concern about Turkey’s growing military partnerships, especially in Regions of historical and strategic importance. The Balkans has long been a battleground for influence between NATO allies and outside powers, and Turkey’s deepening military ties with these states signal its intention to play a more active role in Regional security dynamics. The agreements have been fast-tracked to the Turkish Parliament’s agenda, unlike similar military packages that usually go through a longer review process. Ankara sees the deals as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its military cooperation with neighboring states and allies while countering security threats in the Region.
Through the agreements, Turkey and its partners will cooperate in a wide range of military and defense fields, including training and education, joint exercises, defense industry cooperation, intelligence sharing, logistical support, medical services, cyber defense, peacekeeping missions, and mine and improvised explosive device countermeasures. The agreements also facilitate personnel exchanges, joint research in military science and technology, and operational cooperation in humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions.
Turkey sees this type of formal military agreement as a step towards deepening defense ties and possible future agreements. They also serve as a reference for broader cooperation in the defense industry. A strategy that initially focused on sales of drones manufactured by the Baykar company of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law, has since expanded to other defense products.
Nordic Monitor has previously reported that Turkey has increasingly begun using comprehensive framework agreements to hide further military, defense and intelligence deals from public attention. The report cites Brigadier General Esat Mahmut Yılmaz, head of the General Directorate of Legal Services at the Turkish Ministry of Defense, who revealed this approach in a closed session on May 21, 2024 with the parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee.
According to Yılmaz, Turkey has consolidated these three agreements, which were initially negotiated separately, into a single framework to accelerate engagement in foreign military operations.
Once ratified and published in the Official Gazette, these agreements will allow the Turkish military to enter into secondary agreements with foreign partners without requiring further approval from parliament. This approach limits public debate on the scale and scope of Turkey’s military activities abroad. By speeding up the approval process, Ankara aims to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles and ensure the continuity of its defense commitments. Analysts note that this approach mirrors similar strategies used in previous defense agreements with countries in Africa and Central Asia, where Turkey has sought lasting defense partnerships through comprehensive legal frameworks. While until recently, Turkey negotiated separate agreements on military training, defense industry cooperation, and general military cooperation, the government has now consolidated them into broader framework agreements. This approach, particularly applied with partners in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, aims to speed up military operations, minimize bureaucratic hurdles and keep secondary agreements hidden. These agreements have played a key role in Turkey’s growing defense influence, especially in countries where Turkish military technology and training programs have been well received.
“We used to present these three separately as individual agreements in our parliament. However, later we merged the three. Now we negotiate these under a single framework and defense cooperation agreement,” Yılmaz said.
As of December 2024, Turkey had signed military framework agreements with 89 countries and military training cooperation agreements with 65 countries. Negotiations are ongoing with 47 countries for military framework agreements and 13 for training agreements. In addition, Turkey has signed defense industry cooperation agreements with 90 countries.
Almost all international agreements that have been processed by the Turkish Parliament in recent years have fallen under these broad military frameworks. In particular, the Foreign Relations Committee, rather than the Defense Committee, often oversees the review and approval of these agreements, despite lacking expertise in military matters. This suggests an effort by the Erdogan administration to limit parliamentary scrutiny. Lawmakers critical of the government have expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in these agreements, arguing that they give the government a wide range of decisions on military matters. Erdogan’s strong personal interest in foreign military and defense deals has played a significant role in accelerating these deals. His family has benefited financially from military arms sales, particularly the Bayraktar drones manufactured by Baykar. Over the years, the Erdogan family has also indirectly benefited from commissions associated with defense contracts, enabled through favorable government policies such as uncompetitive tenders, tax breaks, and subsidies.
