Cameron will discuss IS Threat during his visit to Turkey

British Prime Minister David Cameron, visiting with top Turkish officials in a two-day visit to Ankara, is expected to press for greater cooperation in stopping jihadists from joining the Islamic State group.

British intelligence is already reportedly working with its Turkish counterparts on stopping people from joining IS. But Ankara is under pressure from London to do more to stop jihadists from using Turkey as a highway to join Islamic State forces in neighboring Iraq and Syria, as well as assist in tracking jihadists seeking to return home.

Diplomatic columnist Semih Idiz of the Turkish newspaper Taraf and Al Monitor website said relations were further strained between the two countries after allegations surfaced that Turkey had handed over two British citizens to IS in return for Turkish hostages who were captured by the terrorist organization in June.

Cameron’s efforts to press for further cooperation are likely to be met with a call from Turkey’s political leaders for support of their demands on Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while visiting Lithuania Tuesday, reiterated his call for the creation of safe havens protected by no-fly zones in Syria in exchange for the opening of Turkey’s bases to anti-Islamic State coalition forces.

Turkey’s bid to join the European Union could complicate Cameron’s visit. The UK's traditional strong backing of Ankara's EU bid was the foundation of strong bilateral relations. But analyst Aktar said London is no longer viewed so positively in Ankara.

"The Brits used to be the main supporters of Turkey," he said. "Unfortunately, no more. They are very neutral when it comes to Turkey’s EU relations."