Press release

PM call with President of Türkiye: 21 June 2022

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The Prime Minister spoke to the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, today to discuss global food security and defence and economic cooperation.

The Prime Minister updated President Erdoğan on his recent visit to Kyiv, and the leaders agreed on the importance of ending Russia’s war of aggression and restoring Ukrainian sovereignty.

They continued discussions on international efforts to urgently end Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian grain exports, which is hitting developing countries particularly hard. The Prime Minister welcomed Türkiye’s ongoing leadership on this issue and commitment to keep Black Sea trade routes open.

Looking ahead to next week’s NATO Summit, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s support for Sweden and Finland’s accession to the Alliance and agreed with President Erdoğan that all parties would continue to work together to find a path forward.

The leaders also welcomed increased defence and security cooperation between the UK and Türkiye and raised new opportunities to deepen that partnership. They looked forward to continuing their discussions in Madrid next week.

Published 21 June 2022