From the mid-1930s onwards, both Britain and Turkey looked for potential allies against rising threats. For Britain, the rise of Nazi Germany was a crucial threat for the stability of Europe and the maintenance of British authority in world politics. For Turkey, Italian revisionism over the Mediterranean posed an existential threat to Turkish independence.

Despite having different threat perceptions, Britain and Turkey managed to develop close relations since they feared of losing each other to opponents. Britain feared that Turkey would go into the  German orbit, while Turkey was concerned about the possibility for Britain to form an alliance with Italy. Therefore, both states realized that they were better off as friends rather than enemies.