Türkiye and UK sign strategic partnership to deepen defence and global cooperation

Türkiye and UK sign strategic partnership to deepen defence and global cooperation
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and UK Secretary of State Yvette Cooper sign a “Strategic Partnership Framework Agreement”, London, United Kingdom, 23 April, 2026
Anadolu Agency

Türkiye and the United Kingdom on Thursday signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership agreement to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in defence. The deal, signed in London, signals a “new era” in relations between the two NATO allies.

The landmark deal was signed in London by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

According to a joint statement released after the signing, the new strategic partnership framework marks the beginning of a “new era” in relations between the two longstanding NATO members.

“It creates a strong basis to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between our two countries, as NATO Allies and strategic partners,” the statement reads.

Türkiye and the UK, it adds, “share a historic friendship, excellent bilateral relations, and common perspectives on a wide range of international issues and global challenges, including a strong desire for security and stability in the Middle East.”

Shifting global dynamics

With a view to “ensuring the security of the Euro-Atlantic area,” the partnership deal calls for stepped-up cooperation in security, counter-terrorism and defence technology.

It also calls for closer coordination in several non-military areas, including climate change, humanitarian development, scientific innovation and the fight against organised crime.

The agreement includes an economic dimension, calling for enhanced bilateral trade and investment and stressing the need to modernise a pre-existing free trade agreement between the two countries.

The new Türkiye-UK partnership comes at a time of rapidly shifting geopolitical dynamics, including escalating conflict in the Middle East and unprecedented disruptions to global supply chains.

“The accelerating global transition towards a multi-polar, fragmented international order places the UK and Türkiye in a period of heightened risks,” the joint statement reads.

Within this context, NATO has “increased its political and military relevance”, it adds, describing the 32-nation alliance as “the bedrock of our security and collective defence.”

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