Turkish ambassador charts roadmap for more dynamic partnership with Korea

Turkish Ambassador to Korea Murat Tamer speaks during his visit to The Korea Times in this Feb. 14 file photo. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Turkish Ambassador to Korea Murat Tamer expressed high hopes for enhancing ties between Korea and Turkey after Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin's visit to Turkey at the end of July, highlighting a partnership built on mutual respect, shared history and strategic alignment.

Ambassador Tamer noted the deep and enduring bond between Korea and Turkey, especially the country's significant military and humanitarian contributions to the 1950-53 Korean War, which formed the "blood brotherhood" between the two countries.

"The blood brotherhood forged during the Korean War created an ever-lasting special bond between the two countries. Turkiye sent 21,000 troops and Turkish forces stayed in ROK until 1971. Number of Turkish martyrs, which is at around 1,000, is just following the number of casualties of the U.S. and U.K. forces," Tamer told The Korea Times via email. ROK is the acronym of the Republic of Korea, Korea's official name, and Turkiye is the country's preferred spelling.

"Turkish Armed Forces did not only shed blood for their Korean sisters and brothers but also took initiative in building orphanages and orphan schools during those difficult times. Ankara School is just one of them."

The ambassador also expressed gratitude over Korea's support after Turkey was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in February.

"The support and solidarity revealed by friendly and brotherly Korean nation in the aftermath of Feb. 6 earthquake disaster testifies that although the two countries are located in distant geographies, our hearts are always unified," he said.

Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands, prior to their talks in Istanbul, July 28. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The ambassador's remarks align with the messages of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister Park.

Park, marking the first visit to Turkey by a Korean foreign minister in eight years, met with Erdogan and discussed the importance of their strategic partnership. The discussions emphasized support for North Korea's denuclearization and enhancing cooperation, particularly in the defense industry, nuclear power and infrastructure.

Erdogan extended an invitation to Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to visit Turkey, aiming to further facilitate exchanges between the two countries' high-ranking officials.

"The recent visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ROK Park Jin to Turkiye was very meaningful, while we are commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement this year. During the visit, common will of both sides to further develop bilateral relations on the basis of strategic partnership and fraternity was reaffirmed, ways to strengthen cooperation in various areas were addressed and the resolve to work together in global matters was underlined," Tamer said.

He pointed out the signing of the “Roadmap for a Dynamic Turkiye-Korea Partnership” as the concrete outcome of the visit, which serves as a reference for identifying and prioritizing areas of collaboration in the near future.

"The roadmap entails nearly all aspects of our cooperation including political relations, military and defense industry, security, commerce, communication, transportation, agriculture, environment, health, science, industry, technology, education, culture, tourism and sports. It will carry out Turkish-Korean strategic partnership to new levels based on the current conditions and cooperation opportunities. Korea holds a distinctive place in Turkiye's 'Asia Anew' initiative, launched in 2019, as well," the ambassador said.

He also articulated a hopeful vision for bilateral relations in the post-pandemic era.

"With the pandemic period left behind, a new round of top-level visits and exchanges will be in sight with a view to reaping the benefits of huge cooperation potential between our countries. At the same time, Turkiye will maintain close cooperation with Korea in international platforms such as the U.N., G20 (Group of 20) and MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia)," Tamer said.