Prime Ministers Office 10 Downing Street
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the President of Trkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, this afternoon. He reiterated the importance of the UK-Trkiye relationship, with close and growing ties in trade, investment and defence.
PresidentErdo?anupdated on President Zelenskyys planned visit to Istanbul today and the Prime Minister welcomed Trkiyes role in challenging Russian aggression and continuing to upholdthe vital Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Looking ahead to next weeks NATO Summit, the Prime Minister looked forward to working with PresidentErdo?an toaddress shared challenges and ensure NATOremains strong and agile in defending our collective security.
He underlined the significant benefits of Sweden joining NATO and the progress they have made in addressing Trkiyes legitimate security concerns and hoped thealliance could proceed with ratifying their accession as soon as possible.
The Prime Minister also highlighted opportunities for greater collaboration on tackling illegal migration, an issue which affects both our countries. The UK would welcome efforts to further strengthen our cooperation on tackling criminal people smu