Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (pictured) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged letters on March 8 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Seoul and Ankara.
On March 8, Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged letters to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
As Seoul and Ankara have maintained a close partnership over the past 60 years, since establishing diplomatic ties on March 8, 1957, the Korean acting president acknowledged in his letter that both countries have developed and expanded bilateral cooperation across many areas of mutual interest over the past decades, all based on the brotherhood forged during the 1950-53 Korean War.
He pointed out the strategic partnership agreed upon in 2012, and the comprehensive free trade agreement signed in 2015.
“As member states of the Group of 20 (G20) and of the MIKTA, a partnership that brings together Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia, both countries have continued to bring a range of bilateral cooperation to a new level, both regionally and globally,” said the Korean leader.
He said that, by hosting numerous events to commemorate 60 years of friendship, he hopes that the two counties will continue to see mutual understanding between the two peoples continue to deepen.
The acting president also welcomed Korean companies’ involvement in the Canakkale 1915 Bridge development plan to build the world’s longest suspension bridge, one of the Turkish government’s core infrastructure plans. He hoped to see more joint projects like this between companies in both countries.
The Turkish president wrote in his letter that his administration will continue to work closely as a strategic partner with the Korean government. He said that he hopes that the friendship between the Korean and Turkish peoples will get closer than ever by means of a range of various cultural exchanges being hosted to celebrate the “Turkish-Korean Culture Year” this year.
By Kim Eun-young, Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photo: Prime Minister’s Office
eykim86@korea.kr
