On 29–30 May 2025, in London, United Kingdom, comprehensive consultations were held between Major General İlkay Altındağ, Director General for Defence and Security at the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Türkiye, and his accompanying delegation, and senior officials from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and Cabinet Office within the framework of strategic cooperation between the two countries.

As part of these engagements, the Turkish delegation held meetings with the following senior UK officials:Air Vice Marshal Mark Ridgway, Director of Defence Futures, Integration Design Authority, UK Ministry of Defence, Nick Catsaras, Director for International Security at the Ministry of Defence, Paul Wyatt, Director General Defence Policy at the Ministry of Defence Dr. Christian Turner, Political Director at the FCDO, Andy Start, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), and Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, Deputy Commander Operations of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

These engagements, rooted in the deep alliance and longstanding friendship between Türkiye and the United Kingdom, represented a concrete manifestation of their shared commitment to contributing to peace, security, and stability at both regional and global levels.

During the meetings, the parties reviewed their contributions to strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture within the scope of shared responsibilities, and exchanged views on recent developments regarding Euro-Atlantic security. Support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity was once again reaffirmed, and the necessity of a lasting, just solution based on international law was emphasized.

In this context, issues related to the situation in Syria were also addressed, including support for the stability of a new regime, capacity-building efforts, actions against the DAESH terrorist organization, and the implementation of a one-army policy.

The importance of supporting the United Nations-led political process in Libya was highlighted as a key factor in achieving security and political stability in the country. Regarding Somalia, positive views were exchanged on the continuation of joint efforts in capacity-building and training activities for local security institutions.

Both sides agreed on the benefit of enhancing joint efforts to ensure sustainable security and stability in these regions, and expressed their mutual determination to further deepen existing cooperation through concrete projects and institutional mechanisms. The meetings also confirmed a shared understanding on strengthening cooperation in multilateral platforms, institutionalizing bilateral engagements, and maintaining follow-up processes at the technical level.

Turkish delegation was accompanied by the Ambassador of Türkiye to the United Kingdom and the Defence Attaché. Both countries reiterated their determination to further strengthen their strategic partnership in the field of defence and security.