ANKARA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday hailed Türkiye's "intense cooperation" with Britain and called for further expansion of bilateral trade.

During a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the capital Ankara, Fidan highlighted bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, defense, and technology.

He praised Britain's supportive stance on issues including the conflicts in Gaza, Syria, Ukraine, and the wider Middle East, and welcomed the recent British decision to lift certain sanctions on Syria.

Fidan emphasized that ensuring ceasefires, particularly between Iran and Israel, and in Gaza, remains one of Türkiye's top strategic priorities.

Annual trade between the two countries has reached nearly 30 billion U.S. dollars, with both sides aiming to further expand economic ties, Fidan noted.

For his part, Lammy stressed the strength of Türkiye-Britain relations, highlighting a potential free trade agreement that could unlock up to 28 billion pounds (38.36 billion U.S. dollars) in mutual economic benefit.

"We look forward to the negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement in the coming weeks and months," Lammy said.

Lammy also praised Türkiye for its efforts to promote peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and stressed both countries were working towards alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and towards a two-state solution for the Palestinians. Enditem