Turkish, South Korean foreign ministers discuss bilateral ties

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish foreign minister on Friday met with his South Korean counterpart in the capital Seoul and discussed bilateral ties, cooperation in defense industry and investments.

In a series of Twitter posts, Mevlut Cavusoglu said he discussed with Chung Eui-yong steps to be taken in “areas such as investments, balancing trade, defense industry and facilitating travel.”

They also assessed regional issues and Turkey’s Asia Anew initiative, which aims to establish stronger ties with Asian countries.

Cavusoglu said that a "Technical Working Group" was also established to deepen relations between the two countries.

Describing South Korea as an “important partner” in the field of defense industry, he said that Kang Eun-ho, the South Korean minister for the defense acquisition program administration, signed a document “approving the sale of Altay Tank’s power pack.”

"An important step for the success of the project," he said, referring to the signing.

The Altay, Turkey's first main battle tank development program, includes electronic command and control systems, a 120-mm gun, and armor, all made by Turkish companies.

The prototype for the Altay was unveiled at a 2011 defense show in Istanbul.

The Turkish foreign minister also met with the executives of Daelim and SK, which are partners in the consortium constructing the 1915 Canakkale Bridge and Highway project in Turkey.

Cavusoglu shares photos of his meetings on Twitter.