Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in London on Wednesday for a two-day visit focused on the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine, along with trade, defense and energy ties between Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Fidan met with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and signed a Strategic Partnership Framework aimed at updating the political framework for relations between the two NATO allies. The visit also includes talks with British parliamentarians, Turkish community representatives and business figures in London.
NEW: Turkey and UK sign a Strategic Partnership Framework document today, which will enable both countries
“to strengthen their co-operation on
shared challenges by working more closely to promote global security increasing co-operation and co-ordination within NATO, including… pic.twitter.com/jPWqvLF4WJ— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) April 23, 2026
The trip comes days after Fidan and Cooper met on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey, where Ankara had talks with regional and international officials as fighting around Iran and shipping risks in the Gulf remained high.
Minister of Foreign Affairs @HakanFidan met with Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, in London.
During the meeting, the Strategic Partnership Framework Document was signed between Türkiye and the United… pic.twitter.com/y22ry8noID
— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) April 23, 2026
Fidan is expected to repeat Turkey’s call for diplomacy on Iran and underline Ankara’s readiness to support efforts to end the war in Ukraine, including possible future talks involving Russia and Ukraine. He is also expected to press for the completion of an enhanced free trade agreement with the UK and to stress closer cooperation in defense industry and energy.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the two sides said the new framework would deepen cooperation on security, defense, trade, energy, NATO coordination, counterterrorism, organized crime, humanitarian and development policy, climate change and science and technology. The statement also reaffirmed their intention to increase bilateral trade and investment through ongoing negotiations on a modernized free trade agreement.
The London visit takes place as Britain pushes ahead with negotiations on an upgraded trade deal with Turkey. The UK government said on March 18 that the fourth round of talks on an enhanced free trade agreement had been completed in London and that another round was expected before summer.
It also follows deeper defense ties between the two countries. In March the UK announced a support and training agreement tied to Turkey’s Typhoon fighter jet purchase, showing that defense cooperation has become one of the main pillars of the relationship.