UPDATE - Turkish, South Korean foreign ministers discuss bilateral ties

UPDATES WITH NEW MEETINGS; ADDS REMARKS BY TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER; EDITS THROUGHOUT

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 the defense industry, and investments.

In a series of Twitter posts, Mevlut Cavusoglu said he discussed with Chung Eui-yong the 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 that aims to establish stronger ties with Asian countries.

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

The two diplomats signed revised Prevention of Double Taxation and Cooperation on Science & Technology Agreements during the meeting.

Describing South Korea as an “important partner” in the field of defense industry, he said 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 agreement.

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.

- 'Strategic partnership deepening'

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

"Ban Ki-moon's ideas have a major impact in international fora," Cavusoglu said after meeting with the former UN chief, adding that he invited Ban to Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Meeting the country's Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Cavusoglu said the strategic partnership between the two countries is deepening.

"South Korea is our 2nd trade partner in Asia-Pacific, the only country in East Asia with which we have a free trade agreement," he added.

Cavusoglu shared photos of his meetings on Twitter.