Turkey, UK on same page against terrorism, British envoy says

DOMINICK Chilcott, the ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ankara, highlighted on Thursday Turkey’s intense efforts on the fight against terrorism, saying Ankara and London share a common stance against threats including terrorism, irregular migration, and conflict.

“Our relations with Turkey are always very important. However, today is more vital than ever. Our partnership enables our countries to become safer and more prosperous countries. As the United Kingdom and Turkey, we are struggling with common threats such as irregular migration, terrorism, and conflict,” Chilcott said at a panel in the southeastern province of Gaziantep.

Highlighting that both countries associate with the other in terms of trade and defense cooperation, Chilcott said Turkey’s contributions to the international fight against Daesh are “invaluable,” adding that the U.K. is in close cooperation with Turkey to annihilate the perturbation that the two countries face mutually.

“The PKK is a serious threat for Turkey, which the United Kingdom listed as a terrorist organization. The United Kingdom, allows the network to prevent the PKK to be decoded. We condemn PKK terrorism,” the ambassador said and condemned the terror- ist group, which has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people in its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey. The U.K. envoy also highlighted Ankara’s contributions to Syrian refugees, saying that the U.K. will also continue to support Turkey regarding the issue and that the international community should not turn a blind eye to the humanitarian issues when it comes to helping refugees.