Türkiye and the United Kingdom have signed a new security and defence partnership during the NATO summit in Ankara, strengthening cooperation between two major alliance members amid growing security challenges across Europe and beyond.

The agreement was announced on Wednesday as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the summit’s final day.

The closed-door talks came as Starmer prepares to leave office after announcing his resignation last month, while NATO leaders gathered in Ankara to discuss defence spending, military modernisation, Europe’s security capacity and continued support for Ukraine.

New framework expands defence cooperation

The partnership aims to deepen coordination between London and Ankara through new mechanisms covering defence policy, deterrence and defence, military cooperation, defence industry and technology, cybersecurity, hybrid threats, counter-terrorism, resilience, civil preparedness and space.

"The Partnership reflects their shared determination as two major European NATO Allies to further strengthen and institutionalise their co-operation in response to the evolving Euro-Atlantic security environment," the UK government said.

Both countries said the agreement reflects their shared goal of strengthening Europe’s role within NATO while maintaining close transatlantic ties.

Ankara summit strengthens alliance ties

The UK and Türkiye described each other as providing "unique and irreplaceable contributions" to Euro-Atlantic security and pledged to take greater responsibility for building a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO.

"The signing of this Partnership reaffirms the UK and Türkiye’s deep commitment to each other’s defence and to the North Atlantic Treaty," the statement said.

The Ankara gathering marked the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye after the 2004 Istanbul summit, providing a platform for alliance leaders and partners to hold bilateral talks on political, security and economic cooperation.