UK PM Starmer set to visit Türkiye for strategic talks with Erdogan
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Türkiye on Monday, the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications announced.
Directorate Chair Burhanettin Duran stated in a social media post that Starmer was formally invited by President Erdogan and will meet him in Ankara, News.Az reports, citing Turkish media.
The talks between Starmer and Erdogan are expected to cover Turkish–U.K. relations, emphasizing their close alliance and strategic cooperation, as well as current regional and international developments.
This will be Starmer’s first official visit to Türkiye. Some media reports indicate that the two countries may finalize a deal for the acquisition of Eurofighter Typhoon jets. The U.K. is a key member of the consortium producing these fighter jets.
Ankara expressed interest in acquiring 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets in late 2023. The aircraft is a twin-engine multirole fighter jointly produced by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo.
The Eurofighter procurement, initially delayed by German objections, is expected to be completed as part of a broader agreement, including newly manufactured jets and transfers from Qatar and Oman’s inventories.
Starmer and Erdogan last met earlier this month in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on the sidelines of a Gaza ceasefire summit. The most recent high-ranking U.K. official to visit Türkiye was Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who met his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on June 30.
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