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| President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Wednesday, in a meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
President Moon Jae-in emphasized better cooperation with Turkey in a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Wednesday.
Prime Minister Yildirim arrived here Tuesday, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Moon welcomed the prime minister with gratitude for the Turkish military's contributions to the 1950-53 Korean War.
"The relationship between our two countries has developed into a strategic partnership as we both have expanded cooperation in various areas, such as the political, economic and cultural sectors, over the past 60 years," Moon said in the meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae.
"Considering that Turkey bridges Asia and Europe, the Korean government is looking forward to Turkey's cooperation in pushing for the North Policy that aims at peace over the Eurasian continent."
Yildirim reiterated the bilateral relationship has huge potential. "To consolidate the strategic partnership between the two countries, the Turkish president is seeking to visit Seoul," Yildirim said.
The prime minister noted that Korea's democratic development is a good reference for Turkey. "Turkey is taking various measures for political stability. We looked at what Korea has done when Turkey recently amended our Constitution," he said.
The two deepened their historical common ground by watching the movie "Ayla: The Daughter of War" that focuses on the relationship between a Turkish soldier and a Korean orphan during the Korean War, presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun told reporters after the meeting.
"President Moon was satisfied with increased exchanges between military authorities, primarily on export of self-propelled artillery and tank technologies," Park said.
"Moon also called for joint efforts to expand Korea's investment in Turkey. The President expressed his gratitude for Turkey's constant support of Seoul's diplomatic efforts toward North Korea."
Following the meeting with Moon, Yildirim had talks with his counterpart, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon. In a joint press conference after the dialogue, Lee complimented the bilateral free trade agreement that took effect beginning in 2013.
"Based on the successful cooperation on the construction of the Eurasia Submarine Tunnel and the Bosphorus Bridge, we commit our full support to finishing the construction of Canakkale Bridge," Lee said.
Yildirim urged Seoul to pay attention to the threats posed by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind last year's defeated coup attempt. "I hope Seoul will figure out the group's financial problem." In response, Lee promised to take proper legal steps.
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