By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
The Turkish envoy to Korea said that congratulations over a nuclear reactor contract Korea is pursuing in Turkey are premature.
Ambassador Erdogan Iscan told The Korea Times during an interview that "as far as I know, we just opened a tender, and it wouldn't be proper to prejudge its conclusion."
Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet has run a story quoting Turkish energy ministry officials as saying Turkey wanted a Korea-U.S. consortium for its nuclear construction task in the Sinop region of southern Turkey, and it quickly adorned news headlines in Korea.
Iscan said he wasn't aware of the report, and he didn't have any official announcement from the Turkish Energy Ministry on the matter.
Yet, the ambassador welcomed Korea's interest.
"We are very happy that Korea is interested. We will continue our dialogue in this regard," he said.
Hyped by the victory from the UAE nuclear deal, Korea is strengthening its nuclear diplomacy for another win in Turkey.
A group of congressmen led by Park Jin, the head of the National Assembly's committee on international affairs, was in Turkey two weeks ago, meeting with the nation's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz.
Last Thursday in London, where the international conference on Afghanistan's future took place, foreign ministers Yu Myung-hwan and Ahmet Davutoglu met. The topic will certainly be discussed again in June when Turkish President Abdullah Gul comes to Korea for a state visit. The ambassador said the exact date of his visit is still being considered.
In November, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also be in Seoul for the G-20 Summit in November. Turkey's pursuit of a nuclear project is to meet its growing demand for energy.
"It is estimated that every year our energy needs will increase by four percent," ambassador Iscan said.
Like Korea, Turkey mostly imports oil and natural gas from neighboring countries, mainly from Russia.
Two sites were designated a few years ago for the nation's first nuclear reactors, one of which was granted to Russia for construction.
Energy cooperation is expected to dominate the Korea-Turkey relationship in the coming years.
Turkey also showed an interest in renewable energy.
Prime Minister Erdogan recently said, "Turkey has considerable potential for renewable energy, especially in wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and solar energy."
The country is a rising player in the energy transit network in the region.
Several major oil pipelines are passing through Turkish territory, as will new gas pipelines.
But the strategic location sometimes lands Turkey in trouble. For example, during a dispute between Ukraine and Russia over gas pipelines last year, Turkey became a victim as the gas supply was cut off temporarily.
The ambassador also emphasized the importance of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Korea and Turkey.
A joint study was concluded last year and a Turkish delegation was in Seoul last week for a preparatory meeting.
"The meeting progressed very well. Turkey hopes to launch the negotiation and get it signed as soon as possible, if possible, by the end of this year," he said.
For Turkey, signing an FTA with Korea is a must to join the European Union.
An FTA official from the Korean Foreign Ministry said on the condition of anonymity that since the Korea-Turkey FTA has a positive outlook, there's no reason for not having a deal with Turkey, where South Korean investment is on the rise.
The official also said the accord would be mutually beneficial.
Despite geographical distance, the two countries have maintained a close relationship, calling each other brothers since Turkish troop's participation in the Korean War in 1950.
"When I was a child, I didn't know where Korea was. But we always heard about Korea," the ambassador said. "There were so many families around me whose relatives took part in the Korean War."
As this year is the 60th anniversary of the breakout of the Korean War, many Turkish veterans are expected to be invited to Korea, something the ambassador himself said he will look forward to.