Vigilance can report that the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Phillip Hammond, welcomed the Deputy Chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Hulusi Akar, to the Ministry of Defence yesterday for the signing of a military co-operation treaty. The treaty will enable greater co-operation between the Armed Forces of Turkey and the UK.
Our Defence Team gathered that the military treaty is just part of the official state visit in which Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh formally welcomed The President of Turkey and Mrs Gül on Tuesday 22 November 2011 on Horse Guards Parade at the start of their three day State Visit to Britain.
According to a source at the MoD the Framework Agreement dovetails with the UK-Turkey Strategic Partnership Agreement that was signed by the Prime Minister in July 2010. The proposed Agreement is designed to facilitate greater defence co-operation between the UK and Turkey, across a range of military activities.
The Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Phillip Hammond enthused: “I was delighted to meet with General Hulusi Akar today, and to sign the Military Co-operation Treaty. Turkey is an important ally of the United Kingdom, and as NATO partners we are bound by a pledge of collective defence. This bilateral Treaty will take our defence cooperation to a new level.
Secretary Hammond added: “We greatly value the support Turkey provides to the mission in Afghanistan, as well as her contribution to the recent NATO operation in Libya. Turkey’s role in promoting stability, particularly in the Middle East, is invaluable. “I look forward to the enhanced cooperation with Turkey that this Treaty will bring.”