Phone call with Prime Minister of Turkey
Prime Minister David Cameron has held a phone call with the newly re-elected Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In the call, the Prime Minister of Turkey gave his support to a British-backed effort to put pressure on neighbouring Syria through a resolution at the United Nations Security Council.
Mr Cameron also took the opportunity of congratulating him on winning his third terms as Prime Minister.
Following the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said:
The Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Erdogan on his impressive achievement of winning a third term. Mr. Erdogan said he looked forward to continuing his close cooperation with the Prime Minister.
The leaders also discussed Syria. They noted that the situation there had deteriorated markedly in the last week, and agreed that the violence was a cause for deep concern. Mr. Erdogan briefed the Prime Minister on the situation on the Syrian border with Turkey . They agreed on the importance of international unity in response to a crisis which is increasingly dangerous for the Syrian people and the region. Mr. Erdogan welcomed the UK’s efforts to put pressure on the regime through a Security Council Resolution, and they agreed that Britain and Turkey should work “hand-in-hand” to achieve this.
On Libya there was close agreement on the need to maintain pressure on Qadhafi through a united and resolute international approach. The Prime Minster welcomed Turkey’s very important leadership role, especially in hosting and coordinating the next meeting of the international Libya Contact Group in July.