Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gordon Brown

The Prime Minister reiterated his support for Turkey’s bid to become part of the European Union as he met the Turkish Prime Minister.

In a joint press conference with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gordon Brown said Europe would benefit from “the cultural, economic and political strength Turkey will bring to Europe’s top table”.

The PM added:

“I have said… that the reform process led by Prime Minister Erdogan will remove the remaining obstacles to access negotiations. I look forward to working with Turkey as a trusted European Partner.”

Mr Brown also urged Turkish and Greek leaders to show “huge courage” in negotiations on Cyprus and said Britain would do what it could to support talks.

He said:

“Let there be no doubt – reaching an agreement on Cyprus will require huge courage on all sides. It will require bold leadership and a spirit of compromise but I believe that progress is being made. I applaud the leadership being shown by both leaders. But the parties must now maintain that momentum and turn the dream of peace into a reality for all the people of Cyprus.”

The two leaders also discussed Iran and agreed that they were opposed to the development of nuclear weapons in the region. Mr Brown called for the UN Security Council to ensure sanctions are imposed against Iran.