Turkish, British top diplomats discuss conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine

ANKARA

Turkish and British top diplomats have discussed the ongoing Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the latter’s first trip to Türkiye after he was appointed as the foreign secretary.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron came together in Istanbul on Jan. 26. Cameron was in Türkiye as the last stop of his four-day trip to the Middle East that included Israel, Palestine and Qatar.

In Istanbul, Cameron was also received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

According to the diplomatic sources, the two ministers raised regional and global issues as well as bilateral ties. Sources informed that Fidan underlined the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and initiating efforts for a two-state solution so that a lasting peace can be achieved in the Middle East.

Türkiye has long been pressing on the international community to convince Israel for a ceasefire and the start of diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli question.

According to the sources, the two ministers also touched on the allied relationship in the context of NATO. British top diplomat has welcomed the Turkish Parliament’s decision to ratify the Sweden’s accession protocol to join NATO and Erdoğan’s signing it into law.

The ministers also underlined the importance of the security of the Black Sea in the context of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Türkiye has recently denied the entrance of two anti-mine vessels donated by London to Kiev to the Black Sea in line with the Montreux Convention.

On the bilateral front, Fidan and Cameron reviewed the bilateral ties, particularly trade, economy and defense industry, while emphasizing their common commitment to improve the Turkish-British relationship in all the fields.

Türkiye and the U.K. are planning to begin official negotiations for an extended Free Trade Agreement in 2024 in a bid to increase their annual trade volume, which is currently around $20 billion.

The two countries are also heavily cooperating in the field of defense industry. The Turkish side has expressed its intention to supply Eurofighter jets from the U.K.