Turkish president welcomes UK premier with official ceremony

By Ozcan Yildirim and Serdar Dincel

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday welcomed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is paying a visit to Türkiye, with an official ceremony.

Erdogan welcomed Starmer at the main entrance of the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara.

After the two leaders took their places in the ceremony area, a band played the national anthems of the two countries.

The ceremony included flags and soldiers representing the 16 Turkic states established throughout history, as well as a 21-gun salute.

Erdogan and Starmer introduced their delegations to each other and shook hands on the steps in front of the Turkish and British flags and posed for photos with the press.

The leaders, who proceeded to a bilateral meeting, will attend the agreement signing ceremony and hold a joint news conference following a working dinner between the delegations.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and Akif Cagatay Kilic, the president's chief advisor on foreign policy and security, also attended the ceremony.