In London, FM Babacan meets with Miliband

Foreign Minister and chief negotiator for Turkey's European Union talks Ali Babacan yesterday met with British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband in London, with Turkey's Ambassador in London Yigit Alpogan and Britain's Ambassador in Ankara Nick Baird also in attendance. At a joint press conference afterwards, Miliband said that Britain is proud to have very strong ties with Turkey. Stating that they had discussed bilateral and regional issues, Miliband added, "We look at Turkey as a strong force in its region. We have reaffirmed Britain's support for Turkey's EU membership bid." For his part, Babacan said, "Relations between Turkey and Britain are excellent." Babacan was also received by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.