Poland and Turkey: New Chapter of Bilateral Cooperation’s
Mr. Wojciech Dąbrowski, CEO of Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) assessed structure of PGZ and a potential fields of cooperation with Turkish Defence Industry for Defence Turkey Readers
Defence Turkey
Defence Turkey: What is the reason of your visit to Turkey?
We are looking forward for cooperation with the Turkish military industry. Since Turkey has a number of strong and dynamic defence companies and has been successfully building modern Armed Forces, this is an ideal place to look for new business opportunities and learn from your experience. Turkey historically has been one of our most valuable allies and I think that this long-lasting relationship should expand further into the military and defence area. Regardless of geographic distance, the relationship between our two countries is rich in positive examples so I feel that we should continue to add new chapters to this history.
Defence Turkey: PGZ as a fully operational company has been launched in September during the 22nd International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce. Could you tell us about the whereabouts of the company?
PGZ consists of over 30 Polish leading military and civil companies and is a leading manufacturer of equipment for the modern Armed Forces. Our desirable structure is nearly completed as we have successfully included selected companies from the Polish Defence Holding (PHO) and will formally register them under the PGZ by the end of 2014. All of this happened within less than a year from our formal establishment. Considering the time span during which companies like Finmeccanica or BAE Systems have been formed, we have achieved a remarkable success. However, the most challenging time for us is still ahead.
Defence Turkey: Is PGZ replacing PHO?
PGZ is not a successor of PHO – it is a completely new entity. The scale of PHO and the level of cooperation between its sub-companies and their joint export potential was simply not enough for the current market conditions, not to mention customer expectations and their needs. PGZ is a complex, yet as I mentioned before complete, structure that will offer and cover a lifespan of any given military product – from R&D to implementation and production, servicing, maintenance and upgrading to recycling. All this will be offered with a world-class quality and competitive price. Even now we have a number of products that can compete head to head with the world’s most advanced military products. Just to mention the armoured division within the PGZ which is very strong and offers e.g. Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Rosomak (stands for Wolverine in Polish) one of the most modern multirole military vehicles, which performed excellently on the battlefields of Afghanistan.
Defence Turkey: Where do you see potential for cooperation with the Turkish defence industry?
In addition to the armoured vehicles we also produce artillery systems. In this part of our business we notice a huge potential for cooperation with the Turkish defence companies. This cooperation can and definitely should lead to bilateral benefits. PGZ is eager to acquire new technologies that can be implemented into our Group and this is one of the reasons of my visit to your country. Moreover, our shipyard division is capable of building and upgrading modern military ships and as both Poland and Turkey have coastlines to defend. Thus, I perceive Navy modernization as yet another potential field of cooperation, especially in the case of production of corvettes and frigate modernization. Acquisition and modernisation of new submarines, mine hunting, patrol and littoral defence vessels are also opportunities we look forward to examine. This is a unique chance to strengthen our ties and increase our economic and NATO partnership.
Defence Turkey: The armaments modernization programs in Turkey and Poland have similarities. What other fields of cooperation are possible?
Indeed both countries are committed to heavily invest in their defence sectors. Poland has guaranteed nearly 40 bln USD until 2022 for this sake. There are numerous areas we can explore and finally cooperate in – for instance F-16 maintenance and logistics, military trucks and simulation systems. I strongly believe that our talks will materialize and PGZ will be a strong business partner for the Turkish defence industry, both in military as well as the dual-use areas. Ambitious modernization programs of Poland and Turkey require the industry to develop. Therefore, every military project or need shared by the two countries is naturally a potential field of cooperation. I am certain that my visit shall largely contribute to the enhancement of this scope of our relations. I feel it is necessary to broaden our existing relations and establish future commitments in finding real projects to cooperate, not only in the bilateral formula but also within multilateral (especially NATO) projects, using all the opportunities and accessible tools.