Home Secretary visit to Turkey

The Home Secretary met his Turkish counterpart in Ankara today (4 July 2019) to discuss joint efforts to tackle terrorism and organised immigration crime.

Sajid Javid held discussions in the Turkish capital with Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu where they both stressed the importance of UK-Turkey cooperation and agreed to strengthen collaboration in the fight against terror.

They also signed a joint Declaration of Intent which formalises the processes that are already in place with the Turkish Government to safely manage the deportation of British terrorist fighters from Turkey.

It also includes specific provisions on information sharing which will aid investigations into these individuals upon their return.

During the visit, Mr Javid and his Turkish counterpart also discussed the importance of tackling anti-Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism and Christian persecution.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Turkey is a vital partner to the UK in our combined efforts to tackle the global threat we face from terrorism.

The joint Declaration of Intent, formalising our existing processes of information sharing and managing the safe deportation of British terrorist fighters from Turkey, is testament to that close collaboration.

As Home Secretary, I’m committed to continuing to work closely with our friends in Turkey to counter the terrorist threat.