British Foreign Secretary says Türkiye is an important partner

ISTANBUL (AA) – British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss hailed relations between her country and Türkiye during a meeting Wednesday with Vice President Fuat Oktay in the Turkish capital Ankara.

“Türkiye is an important partner for the UK. We are key European NATO allies,” Truss wrote on Twitter following the meeting.

“I met Vice President @fuatoktay in Ankara & talked about the UK & Türkiye deepening our cooperation in areas including energy, defence and security,” Truss added, sharing a photo from the meeting.

“We continue to work together to support Ukraine,” she said.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the solution for the export of grain from Ukraine in a phone call, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

Tons of Ukrainian grain remain stuck because of the military conflict, causing global shortages and price hikes. Russia, which is accused of using food as a weapon, has maintained that Western sanctions are to blame for food shortages.​​​​​​​

Erdogan told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday that Türkiye maintains joint efforts to ensure the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, which would be “effective in terms of averting a global food crisis.”