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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met face-to-face for the first time on Tuesday, using talks on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly to address the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, tensions with Iran and the long-stalled Cyprus dispute, according to a statement from Türkiye's Communications Directorate.
The meeting in New York brought together the leaders of two NATO allies at a moment of overlapping regional crises, with Erdogan telling Burnham that cooperation between the two countries, particularly in defense and trade, could be deepened further.
Erdogan told Burnham that relations between Ankara and London were strengthening across the board, the Communications Directorate said, and pointed to the defense industry and trade as areas where further steps could advance cooperation between the two governments.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and presidential chief adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic were among the officials who joined the meeting.
Turning to the Middle East, Erdogan said Israel had repeatedly shown through its actions that it was not seeking peace in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, referring to what he described as Israeli aggression in the region. He said pressure from the international community remained important in addressing the situation.
On Ukraine, Erdogan said the conflict remained at an impasse, and that attacks on Turkish and other foreign commercial vessels in the Black Sea were adding further complications. He also pointed to rising tensions involving Iran, saying an agreement covering the Strait of Hormuz could help revive stalled negotiations.
Erdogan also raised the decades-old Cyprus dispute, telling Burnham that no proposed formula for resolving the issue would succeed unless the sovereign equality and international status of Turkish Cypriots were recognized. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, with the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Türkiye, in the north.
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