Britain’s Consulate General in Istanbul approved for the first time a residence and work permit application from Turkey made under the Ankara Agreement, the Anatolian Agency reported.

The application made by London-based Kuddus Solicitors for Turkish citizen, Gurbuz Sanatci was approved by the Britain’s Consulate General in Istanbul.

The Ankara Agreement was made in 1973 and allows Turkish nationals to set-up and run a business or businesses in Britain.

Basarat Ali and Muhammed Abdulkuddus from the Kuddus Solicitors said they also made similar applications for seven other Turkish citizens.

Aysegul Yesildaglar, labor attaché at Turkey’s Embassy in London, told Turkey’s CNNTurk this approval did not mean that all the applications would be accepted, but added this would create a great opportunity for serious and efficient applications.

The case, won by the Turkish citizen, is seen as an important step in terms of European Union partnership rights.