Third round of Türkiye, UK trade talks scheduled for November
ANKARA
Türkiye and the United Kingdom are preparing for the third round of negotiations in November to update their free trade agreement, aiming for a comprehensive deal.
The second round of talks, held from Sept. 15 to 19 in London, focused on goods trade, trade policy, health and plant safety measures, customs and trade facilitation.
Discussions targeted new market openings for agricultural products, expanded cooperation on health and plant safety standards and streamlined customs processes through both traditional and digital channels.
In addition, both countries engaged in detailed discussions on services sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, legal services, maritime transport and postal-courier services.
Digital trade, secure data transfers and investment protection were highlighted as key priorities.
The negotiations also addressed intellectual property rights, as well as administrative rules, regulatory practices, labor and environmental standards.
A dedicated chapter on dispute resolution was also reviewed to address potential issues in the free trade agreement implementation.
According to the U.K. Department for Trade, the second round made positive progress across digital trade, financial and professional services and investment.
Both sides continued evaluating areas for cooperation and reaffirming international commitments while working on shared priorities.
Türkiye and the U.K. share strong trade ties.
The U.K. sees closer trade relations with Türkiye as contributing to employment and economic welfare, while Türkiye considers the U.K. market strategically important due to its 69 million population and high consumer demand.
The data from Türkiye’s Trade Ministry shows that bilateral trade reached $22 billion last year, with the U.K. ranking as Türkiye’s seventh-largest trading partner. The U.K. also stands out as the country to which Türkiye exports the most, with an $8 billion trade surplus.
According to U.K. trade data, Türkiye is the U.K.’s 16th-largest trading partner, and trade with Türkiye directly supported around 57,100 jobs in the U.K. in 2020.
The third round of talks in November will aim to carry onward updates toward a next generation, extensive free trade agreement between the two nations.
