Erdogan - Sunak meeting in Vilnius ( Murat Kula - Anadolu Agency )
VILNIUS / LONDON
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit.
The closed-door meeting took place at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital.
Afterwards, 10 Downing Street issued a statement saying Sunak had welcomed Türkiye’s support for Sweden’s NATO accession – which got a green light late Monday – and commended President Erdogan for his efforts.
"The leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to ensuring the UK-Türkiye relationship reaches its full potential, building on growing trade links and strong defense and security cooperation," it said.
The two also agreed to task their foreign ministers to look at areas for closer collaboration on migration and fighting organized crime.
They also agreed to enhance intelligence sharing and cooperation on countering terrorism.
Erdogan also updated Sunak on Ukranian President Zelenskyy’s visit to Türkiye last Friday, and the leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring an extension to the Black Sea grain deal, which is currently due to expire on July 17, said the statement.
The Turkish president is in Vilnius to attend a NATO leaders’ summit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Thirty-one leaders of the alliance’s member states are meeting to discuss the Ukraine war, Sweden's NATO membership, and steps to strengthen the group's defense and deterrence, among other issues.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania pic.twitter.com/y9ihYDL7Sw
