Press release

PM call with President Erdoğan: 22 August 2021

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

The Prime Minister spoke to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today about the crisis in Afghanistan.

They discussed the importance of the international community working together to stabilise the situation and support Afghans in the country and in the region.

The leaders shared the view that any new government must be representative of Afghanistan’s diverse population and protect the rights of women and minorities, and that the Taliban would be judged by their actions not their words on this.

They agreed that countries must commit to burden-sharing on aid and refugees, noting that United Nations coordination would be central to that effort.

The Prime Minister and President Erdoğan also discussed intensifying UK-Turkey cooperation on trade and tackling climate change, ahead of COP26.

Updates to this page

Published 22 August 2021