1. First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yong met with his Turkish counterpart Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu in Ankara, Turkey, on June 25. In their meeting, the two vice ministers exchanged views on ways to work together in such areas as political affairs, economy, culture and consular matters, as well as at MIKTA, the G20 summit and other multilateral mechanisms; and ways to respond to global issues, including the situation in Syria and violent extremism.

2. The two vice ministers noted with appreciation that the Republic of Korea-Turkey friendly relations, forged by blood during the Korean War, are at their best in terms of cooperation in political affairs, economy and people-to-people exchanges.

◦ The two ranking diplomats agreed to make efforts to maintain the robust momentum of high-level exchanges built by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s visit to the ROK in May 2015 and ROK Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se’s visit to Turkey in August 2014.

◦ Undersecretary Sinirlioglu took note of the fact that the two countries had recorded 7 billion US dollars in bilateral trade in 2014 alone and a combined 1.5 billion in investment within the framework of bilateral comprehensive FTA. He went on to ask that the ROK government pay attention to and render support for Turkey’s bid to boost produce exports to the ROK and to attract more investment from Korean companies with a view to promoting economic cooperation between the two countries in a mutually beneficial manner.

◦ Vice Minister Cho, expressing support for Turkey’s proposal to boost trade and investment in a mutually beneficial manner, voiced concern over Turkey’s safeguard investigation on imports of mobile phones and requested that the relevant Turkish authorities conduct the investigation in a fair manner.

◦ The Vice Minister, appreciating the steady increase in substantive bilateral cooperation in such sectors as defense industry and infrastructure, requested that the Turkish government render support to Korean companies hoping to continuously expand their presence in infrastructure expansion projects in Turkey.

3. The two vice ministers, sharing the view that the scope of bilateral cooperation is broadening to include regional and global issues, agreed to work more closely together at the G20 summit, MIKTA and various other mechanisms.

◦ Vice Minister Cho extended appreciation to Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu for attending the fifth MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ meeting, adding that MIKTA is developing into a productive mechanism among the middle power countries involved. Undersecretary Sinirlioglu, sharing the Vice Minister’s view, proposed that the two countries work more closely together at MIKTA.

◦ Undersecretary Sinirlioglu voiced hope for the ROK’s participation in and contribution at the G20 summit set to take place in Antalya, Turkey, in November. Vice Minister Cho responded by expressing a strong willingness to work with Turkey toward the success of the meeting.

4. The two sides exchanged views on ways to respond to the situation in Syria and the issue concerning the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), among others. Vice Minister Cho particularly commended Turkey for playing a pivotal role with regard to Syrian refugees, adding that the ROK will likewise increase its humanitarian assistance in a bid to participate proactively in international efforts to respond to the issue.

5. On a side note, Vice Minister Cho attended the memorial event marking the 65th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, which was hosted by the local ROK Embassy and the Turkish Korean War Veterans Commemorative Association. During the event, he laid a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Monument. He also delivered commemorative remarks conveying appreciation for the Turkish troops’ dedication and sacrifice to safeguard the freedom of the ROK and thereby to contribute to the achievement of democracy and economic growth in the country.

6. Vice Minister Cho’s visit to Turkey and meeting with his Turkish counterpart is seen to have served as an opportunity to reaffirm the ROK’s long-standing friendly and cooperative ties with Turkey, including through the commemorative event for the 65th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, and to step up policy coordination on major regional and global issues with Turkey, whose role is growing on regional and global stages.


* unofficial translation