‘Strong support’ received from Turkey on foreign fighters: UK envoy

ANKARA

File Photo from an anti-ISIL operation on Oct. 26, 2015. DHA Photo

British Ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore and Turkish National Police Chief Celalettin Lekesiz have met to discuss support between the two countries on foreign fighters and terrorist threats.

Tweeting about the meeting, Moore said Lekesiz had offered “strong support” in combatting foreign fighters and also the exchange of information on terrorist threats. 

“Honor to host DG [Director General] of Turkish National Police Celalettin Lekesiz for tea. Talked of strong support received from Turkey on foreign fighters and need to continue to work on exchange of information on terrorist threats,” Moore tweeted on his personal Twitter account on Nov. 30. 

U.K. Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon told daily Hürriyet in an interview on Nov. 12 that the U.K. and Turkey were working closely to prevent U.K. nationals from joining the conflict in Syria. 

“Disrupting the flow of foreign fighters is a crucial part of the fight against ISIL [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant], so we value greatly the efforts of the Turkish authorities on this matter,” Fallon said. 

“Turkey’s role in the counter-ISIL Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Group and in the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) are also important contributions in bringing the international community together to address these issues,” he added. 

In an interview with daily Hürriyet on Aug. 10, Moore said Turkey was undertaking important responsibilities in terms of the refugee flow it has received and on halting the flow of foreign fighters bound for Syria.

Moore said on Aug. 10 that the U.K. government believed that about 700 U.K. citizens had gone to Syria and that about half that number had returned.