Theresa May to discuss trade on Turkey visit with Erdogan

UK Prime Minister Theresa May will discuss a post-Brexit trade deal with Turkey during weekend talks in the country with President Tayyip Erdogan.

May arrives in Ankara early on Saturday from the US, where she met President Trump.

A new trading relationship with Turkey following the UK’s exit from the European Union would form part of discussions, said on Number 10.

“The PM is also expected to discuss security”, Mrs May’s spokeswoman said.

“They will be discussing a new trade relationship and a strategic security partnership.” The spokeswoman added.

It comes as Brexit Secretary David Davis predicted a round of global trade deals would be fully negotiated within 12 to 24 months, coming into force when the UK leaves the EU.

The government plans to begin the formal two-year Brexit process by triggering article 50 by the end of March.

May’s first prime ministerial visit to Turkey comes as President Erdogan is clamping down on opponents following the failed military coup in July 2016.

Asked if May would raise human rights concerns since the coup, the spokeswoman said that Britain had expressed their strong support for Turkey’s democracy and institutions following the coup.

In further unrest, 39 people were killed in an attack on a New Year’s Eve party in a nightclub in Istanbul.

Islamic State (IS) said that it was behind the attack and the militant group was linked to at least two other attacks in Turkey last year.

Source: BBC