ANKARA: Turkey and Britain signed a deal to jointly build fighter jets during Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to Ankara today, even as the British leader called on Turkey's government to uphold democracy and abide by human rights standards.
Britain's BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace industries signed the 100 million pounds (nearly USD 125.5 million) agreement establishing a partnership for the development of Turkey's fighter jet program as May met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials about boosting trade between the countries once Britain leaves the European Union.
The discussions also focused on increasing cooperation over security and counterterrorism.
"This agreement underlines once again that Britain is a great, global, trading nation and that we are open for business," May said, according to a statement from her office. "It marks the start of a new and deeper trading relationship with Turkey and will potentially secure British and Turkish jobs and prosperity for decades to come."
May flew overnight to Ankara by RAF Voyager jet from the US, where she and U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed a new chapter in the trans-Atlantic "special relationship."
The visit to Turkey, an important but complicated NATO ally, came amid pressure at home to condemn Turkey's clampdown on civil liberties since the government crushed a coup attempt in July.
"I am proud that the UK stood with you on the 15th of July last year in defense of your democracy," May said, as she and Erdogan delivered brief statements to the media following their talks.
"And now it is important that Turkey sustains that democracy by maintaining the rule of law and upholding its international human rights obligations -- as the government has undertaken to do," she said.
Turkey has detained tens of thousands of people suspected of links to a movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the government accuses of orchestrating the failed coup attempt. More than 100,000 others have been dismissed from government jobs.
The crackdown extended to other government opponents. More than a hundred journalists and pro-Kurdish party leaders are in jail.
May, who was paying her first visit to Turkey since becoming prime minister, arrived for talks with Erdogan to find her image dominating television screens in the presidential palace, which were showing footage of her visit to the White House.
May laughed when Erdogan said her trip to Washington "was well-covered in Turkey."
In his statement, the Turkish leader said the two countries would aim to increase their bilateral trade volume from the current USD 15.6 billion to some USD 20 billion.
Earlier, May laid a wreath in the red and white colors of the Turkish flag at the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish Republic, before meeting Erdogan at the vast presidential palace.