Cameron set to visit Turkey next week

ANKARA

British PM David Cameron will meet with Turkish president on Dec 9. REUTERS photo

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that British Prime Minister David Cameron will pay a visit to Turkey on Dec. 9, where the two leaders will overwhelmingly discuss the ongoing international fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

“We want to work with the United Kingdom for the settlement of both regional and global problems,” Erdoğan said Nov. 29 at the Turkey-U.K. Sweet Talk forum in Istanbul. “I would like to express that [this visit] is not only important and valuable for our bilateral relations, but also for the countries and peoples of our region that are passing through difficult moments. I believe we will further and deepen our cooperation in line with the expectations of the people of our two countries and our joint political will,” he said.

The details of the Cameron’s visit to Turkey are yet to be clarified, but as Erdoğan announced, it will mainly focus on the developments in Iraq and Syria and the fight against ISIL.

Erdoğan repeated his criticisms toward the Western world’s picking up ISIL as the sole target, while “doing almost nothing” against Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

An aerial campaign against ISIL will not be successful, Erdoğan also repeated, adding “I once again urge all my friends: It’s clear that you cannot get results in either Iraq or Syria unless a no-fly zone and secure zones are established.”