The Prime Minister hosted the Prime Minister of The Netherlands, Rob Jetten, at the British Residence in Ankara this evening.
The leaders began by discussing the new maritime partnership between the UK and The Netherlands, which they agreed would strengthen NATO and back UK shipbuilding.
It was symbolic of the enduring and close relationship between the two countries, the Prime Minister added.
Turning to shared global challenges, the Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Jetten for The Netherlands’ strong support to the multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Moving on to stepping up defence spending, the two leaders underlined the need to use innovative solutions to fund major defence projects.
The Multilateral Defence Mechanism (MDM), which the UK and The Netherlands were a part of, was a vital opportunity to bring countries together to buy equipment collectively, the leaders agreed.
It would aggregate demand and standardise defence procurement, pushing down the costs of buying equipment and making funding stretch further, the Prime Minister added.
The leaders looked forward to speaking again at the leaders’ dinner this evening.