Türkiye ready to launch free trade talks with UK
Serkan Demirtaş - ANKARA
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will reiterate Türkiye’s readiness to start negotiations for a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom during his official trip to London on Oct. 30, diplomatic sources have said.
It will be Fidan’s first visit to London after the Labour Party came to power in the July polls. He will meet Foreign Secretary David Lammy and other officials in London. Türkiye and the U.K. have enjoyed a strategic partnership since 2007 and their ties have gained even more importance following Brexit.
According to the sources, Fidan will express Türkiye’s satisfaction with the development of the bilateral ties in all domains, including trade, economic cooperation and the defense industry.
On economy and trade, the Turkish top diplomat will repeat that Türkiye is ready to start negotiations for a new free trade agreement with the U.K.
In fact, Ankara had agreed to do so with the previous British government but the process had to delay due to the early polls in the latter.
The Labour Party government has expressed its willingness to expand the scope of the free trade agreement with Türkiye as well.
Fidan and Lammy are expected to discuss the matter and agree on a road map for the launch of the negotiations.
The bilateral trade volume exceeded $20 billion recently and the two allies seek to increase it to $30 billion in the coming years.
In addition to existing cooperation, Fidan is expected to underline the importance of investments in new fields, including energy and transportation.
Turkish-British dialogue also includes digital and green transformation as Türkiye was one of the 28 countries attending the AI Security Summit that took place in London in November 2023.
Eurofighter sale also on agenda
Another important topic that the two foreign ministers will address is the mutual efforts to expand the scope of defense industry cooperation.
Türkiye and the U.K. have been long-term partners in this field, especially in aviation.
One of the current issues on their table is Türkiye’s intention to purchase 40 Eurofighter warplanes from the coalition led by the U.K. with the participation of Germany, Spain and Italy.
As German Chancellor Olaf Scholz greenlighted the sale of these warplanes to Türkiye, the sources believe the pace of the sale of the Eurofighters may increase. Talks between the two foreign ministers will clarify how the process will be carried out in the coming months.
Ministers to discuss regional developments
According to the sources, Fidan and Lammy will also review the recent escalation in the Middle East and the continued Russian occupation of Ukraine.
The need for joint action against terrorism will be specifically raised by Fidan following last week's PKK terror attack on a major defense industry facility in Ankara, which claimed the lives of five civilians.
Regarding Gaza, Fidan will address the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave, which has left around 2 million people without basic necessities due to Israel’s restrictions.
Fidan will repeat that Türkiye does not want wars in its region while expressing concerns about Israel’s continued attacks against regional countries as well as U.N. institutions.
Fidan and Lammy are also expected to exchange views about ongoing efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and ways to reach a lasting agreement in the region through a two-state formulation.