Turkey and UK stress importance of enhancing security cooperation and combating migration

Istanbul, October 15 (KUNA) -- Turkey and the United Kingdom affirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation in combating transnational crimes and shared responsibility for managing irregular migration in an effective and sustainable manner. This was stated in a joint press release issued by the interior ministries of the two countries following the seventh meeting of the Strategic Security Partnership and the fourth meeting of the Migration Dialogue, held in Ankara on October 13 and 14. According to the statement, the meetings aimed to deepen cooperation in the fields of security and migration, based on the strong friendship and strategic partnership between the two countries. The two sides reviewed bilateral relations between their interior ministries and reiterated that the “Security and Defense Partnership” signed in July 2026 constitutes a solid foundation for developing security cooperation between the two countries. Both parties stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation in combating transnational crimes, particularly terrorism and its financing, organized crime, smuggling in all its forms, cybercrime, and money laundering, emphasizing that such cooperation is of vital importance to their shared security. The two sides acknowledged the growing link between irregular migration and human smuggling and other forms of transnational crime, affirming that addressing these challenges requires comprehensive international cooperation that goes beyond border management. They also reaffirmed their shared responsibility for managing irregular migration in an effective and sustainable manner. (End) T.A. / T.A.B.