The NATO summit in Ankara in July has the potential to breathe new life into the Turkish-Romanian strategic partnership at a time when the Black Sea region is marked by strategic rivalry and geopolitical turbulence, given the wars in Ukraine and Iran, as well as the withdrawal of American troops from the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Constanta.
Beyond the important security and economic dimensions, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Romanian President Nicusor Dan should seize the opportunity of the summit and organize a bilateral meeting that would also address the technological dimension of the strategic partnership, which is relevant both from a military perspective and from the standpoint of the economy of the future.
Momentum in bilateral relations
The two countries had previously upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership in 2011, but since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Türkiye and Romania have significantly elevated their bilateral relations, recognizing that the security of the Black Sea region hinges on closer coordination between its two largest NATO littoral states.
Deepening of this partnership has shown itself across multiple fronts with joint efforts with Bulgaria to demine the Black Sea, enhanced defense industrial cooperation, most notably Romania's landmark December 2025 acquisition of the Hisar-class light corvette TCG Akhisar for 223 million euros ($257.65 million), the first Turkish-built warship ever exported to a NATO and EU member state, and growing bilateral trade that has placed Türkiye among Romania's top commercial partners. People-to-people ties have also been strengthened, with Romanian citizens now able to travel to Türkiye with just their national ID cards since June 2024, a welcome step that reflects the broader warming of relations.
