British and Turkish defence ministers meet to discuss greater co-operation opportunities
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has met with his Turkish counterpart Defence Minister Hulusi Akar in Istanbul to talk about opportunities for greater co-operation between the two countries.
Their meeting covered a range of other topics, including training, equipment and capabilities.
Also discussed was how the UK and Turkey will continue to work with international partners on shared challenges and key issues like Russia's war in Ukraine and Turkey's crucial role in ensuring grain exports are able to leave the region.
Mr Wallace said it had "been a great pleasure to meet again with my defence counterpart, Minister Akar".
"The UK and Turkey share a long-standing defence partnership and commitment to shared security challenges, including Russia's war with Ukraine," he added.
The meeting builds on several years of increased co-operation between the UK and Turkey on defence matters.
Mr Wallace also met other senior Turkish figures from across the defence and aerospace sectorsm while at the SAHA Expo – the Turkish Defence exhibition.
The Defence Secretary also held meetings with the newly appointed Slovenian Defence Minister Marjan Šarec and Ukrainian Minister for Strategic Industries, Pavlo Riabikin.
The visit to Turkey comes just weeks after Minister Akar travelled to the UK for discussions on defence co-operation and Turkey's commitment to security as NATO allies.
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