UPDATES ERDOGAN'S SPEECH
By Enes Kaplan
TOKYO (AA) - Turkey and Japan share similar cultural values such as hard work, courage, discipline, despite differences in language and distances spanning thousands of miles, the Turkish president said on Monday.
Speaking at a lunch gathering hosted by the head of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, Toshihiro Nikai, in the Japanese capital of Tokyo, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said more than 170,000 Japanese people visited the "Treasures and Tradition of 'Lale' [Tulip] in the Ottoman Empire" exhibition.
Erdogan also said a photo exhibition featuring the works of renowned Turkish-Armenian photographer Ara Guler at the 800-year-old Tofukuji Temple in Kyoto would receive the same interest from Japanese people.
"We hope to introduce Turkey’s rich cultural heritage to our Japanese friends with the programs we will organize throughout the year," Erdogan said.
Erdogan also emphasized the potential for cooperation not only in the political and economic fields but also in culture and science.
"One of the most critical projects between Turkey and Japan is the Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology, planned to be established in Istanbul. We are working to open this university in a short time," Erdogan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, at the Japanese parliament.
"Japan has a special place in the hearts of the Turkish people. In 2013, we crowned our friendship with a strategic partnership. I believe that parliamentary diplomacy plays an important role in the development of cooperation between countries," Erdogan said in the meeting.
Pointing out the two countries' technical, automotive and nuclear energy cooperation, Erdogan noted Japanese companies' role in mega projects in Turkey.
Erdogan said he expects Japanese businesspeople to make more investments in Turkey to increase the current $3-billion worth of investments.
"In 2018, our exports to Japan remained at approximately $480 million while our imports exceeded $4 billion," he said.
"We need to make our bilateral trade more balanced," Erdogan added.
Erdogan underlined that Toshihiro Nikai is one of the most senior figures in Japanese politics and a member of the long-incumbent party.
"While we are talking about increasing intergovernmental dialogue between us, we should also develop inter-party dialogue," Erdogan added.
Erdogan also expressed hope that cooperation would continue to grow in the coming years.
- Defense ministers meet
Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar -- part of Erdogan's delegation -- met his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo on Monday.
Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on Twitter that Akar and Takeshi Iwaya discussed defense and security cooperation between the two countries.
*Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic and Dilara Hamit