Supporters came out in force in London to welcome the Turkish president like a pop star ahead of meetings on security and business, talks with Theresa May, and a reception with Her Majesty the Queen.
Large crowds lined the pavements in central London on Monday in a festive atmosphere with Turkish flags to the fore, as supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave him a rock star reception on his visit to Britain.
London has a large Turkish community many of whom support Erdogan's AK party, but security was tight with police deployed to marshall the crowds.
Erdogan is in Britain for three days, meeting with Her Majesty the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May.
He will also meet business leaders and address the Chatham House thinktank. Erdogan expressed a desire for bilateral relations on a range of issues to continue "uninterrupted" by Brexit, a perhaps curious turn of phrase for non-EU member Turkey, but not so curious if trade deals are in the offing.
Erdogan is determined to press ahead with a number of capital projects involving large infrastructural investments, and foreign investors may be keen for a slice of the action, despite worries about such large projects' effects on the environment, and concerns about how they are being driven forward with little regard for for the people whose land they are consuming.
