Fresh
from talks with US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister
Theresa May will meet Turkish leaders in Ankara Saturday, hoping to
expand ties and seal a new trading relationship before Britain leaves
the EU.
On
a one-day visit to the Turkish capital, her first since becoming
premier, May will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
While
some EU states have been wary of sending top officials to Turkey
following the July 15 failed coup and ensuing crackdown, May will follow
several senior British ministers who have visited Ankara in recent
weeks.
And
symbolically, her visit to Turkey is the last leg of a trip which took
her to the White House as the first foreign leader to be hosted by
Trump.
Turkey,
which has sought to join the European Union since the 1960s, has long
seen Britain as one of the most enthusiastic supporters of its troubled
bid.
But
following Britain's June vote to leave the bloc, both sides are now
looking to bring a new dynamic to relations, with London seeking to firm
up post-Brexit trade deals with non-EU states.
- 'Engagement with Turkey' -
May's
spokeswoman said increased security cooperation, especially on
aviation, and a new trade relationship post-Brexit would top the agenda
at the talks.
Following
the failed coup, Turkey's relations with the EU have become strained,
with Brussels sharply criticising the extent of the ensuing crackdown,
and Ankara deploring Europe's failure to show solidarity.
The spokeswoman emphasised that there were no issues May would steer away from, including human rights and freedom of the press.
"The
Prime Minister's approach is quite clear - she thinks it's important,
and in the UK's national interest - to engage with Turkey on a range of
issues - from defence and security cooperation to capitalising on trade
opportunities," she said.
She added: "I don't think there are any issues that the prime minister is afraid to bring up."
- 'Unsavoury rulers' -
Ahead
of May's visit, Britain's Trade and Investment Minister Mark Price held
a series of meetings with Turkish ministers in Ankara.
Bilateral
trade between the two countries amounted to more than $16 billion (14.9
billion euros) in 2015, Turkish figures show, with Britain the second
most important country for exports and 11th in terms of imports.
Three
months after the Brexit vote, Foreign Minister Boris Johnson made a
colourful visit to Turkey during which he said Britain was seeking a
"jumbo free trade deal" with Ankara.
Noting
that trade ties were already significant, Johnson said he was the
"proud" owner of a Turkish washing machine and acknowledged that
Britain's iconic Jaffa Cake biscuits were owned by a Turkish
confectionary giant.
He
also ebulliently brushed off the embarrassment of penning the winning
entry in an offensive poetry competition about Erdogan which was
published by The Spectator magazine earlier in the year.
Back
in the UK, MPs have urged May not to let her eagerness to promote trade
overshadow human rights concerns over Turkey's post-coup crackdown.
"The
Conservative Brexit government is so desperate for trade deals with
anyone but the mature democracies of the European Union that even the
most unsavoury rulers are to be subjected to the prime ministerial
charm," opposition Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney wrote in the Guardian
newspaper.
Raziye Akkoc with Stuart Williams in Istanbul and Alice Ritchie in Washington
