At the summit held on the occasion of President Lee’s state visit to Turkey, the two leaders discussed ways to promote the strategic partnership and expand the scope of cooperation in the sectors of economy, defense, and etc. Noting the gradual increase in the bilateral trade volume in recent years, the two presidents shared a common interest in maximizing the complementary economic structure in a mutually beneficial way through the realization of a free trade agreement.
As the talk revolved around regional and global issues of mutual interest, the two sides addressed the importance of increasing collaboration in multilateral venues, such as the UN and G20 in particular.
The ROK and Turkey have formed solid ties bonded upon the brotherhood built during the Korean War, and have continued to develop closer cooperation over the course of the last half century, despite the geographical distance.
Speaking at a joint press conference following the summit, Presidents Lee and Gül reaffirmed their shared will to further boost and diversify bilateral relations in a comprehensive manner. President Lee praised the establishment of the strategic partnership with the “brotherly country,” and expected that upgrading the level of cooperation will boost bilateral relations comprehensively.
“The state visit has served to reaffirm the potential for the development of bilateral relations and represents a milestone, showing the way for further advances in the future,” noted the two sides at the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership.
Ankara, 6 February 2012
JOINT DECLARATION ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN
THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA AND
THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
The Republic of Korea and the Republic of Turkey (hereinafter referred to as “the Sides”),
Noting that H.E. Mr. Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea, paid a State Visit to the Republic of Turkey during 4-7 February 2012 at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries;
Noting that President Lee Myung-bak and President Abdullah Gül engaged in an in-depth and fruitful dialogue at the summit meeting on 6 February 2012 as a follow-up to the discussions that were held in 2010 on the occasion of the State Visit by President Abdullah Gül to the Republic of Korea;
Recognizing that the two Leaders noted with satisfaction that the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Turkey have continued to develop their cooperation over a half century since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1957, building upon the brotherhood that was built in the fight for freedom and democracy during the Korean War and the historical ties between the Korean and Turkish peoples which date back to the 6th century;
Reaffirming their shared will to further deepen and diversify bilateral relations in the political, economic, cultural and other areas, as well as people-to-people exchanges, and to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, emphasizing the importance of close collaboration between the two countries in addressing major global issues, in particular, within the UN and G-20;
Recognizing the value of the long-standing, deep and solid ties as well as the potential for substantial cooperation between the two countries and acknowledging the need for a future-oriented approach in a globalised and interconnected world;
Considering that the two Leaders agreed to upgrade the level of cooperation between the two countries to a Strategic Partnership;
Have declared as follows:
Political Cooperation
The Sides agreed to maintain the momentum for the deepening of their cooperation through further high-level visits and to continue to promote political consultations and dialogue on various issues at the bilateral level and contacts between their respective parliaments as well as public and private institutions.
The Sides recognized the value of the thriving cooperation in multilateral fora and the deepening of cooperation in international organizations.
Economic Cooperation
Noting the continued remarkable increase of the bilateral trade volume between the two countries in the recent years, the Sides shared a common interest in further advancing the mutually beneficial trade and cooperation in the economic field, maximizing their complementary economic structures.
The Sides agreed to exert full efforts to increase bilateral trade in a more balanced manner.
The Sides instructed their officials to explore means to build further linkages between private sectors of the two countries and to support efforts to identify investment opportunities.
The Sides decided to further strengthen cooperation in fields such as investment, tourism, energy, transportation, construction, infrastructure, and defense industry and to seek ways for cooperation in the construction sector to enter jointly into third country markets in the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.
The Sides agreed to further their cooperation in the energy field. In this context, they expressed their interest in holding consultations, engaging in the exchange of knowledge and technology, and pursuing mutually beneficial projects in this field.
Noting the ongoing consultations since the declaration of the launch of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Turkey, the Sides expressed their expectation that the efforts by the two countries will result in a satisfactory outcome in the near future. They also confirmed that the FTA between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Turkey will generate significant momentum for the development of bilateral economic relations in a mutually beneficial way.
Cooperation in the Fields of Culture, Education and Science
The Sides decided to encourage dialogue and exchanges at all levels in the fields of culture, education and science in order to build stronger people-to-people contacts which will serve to strengthen ties in all areas.
The Sides agreed to promote cooperation between higher education and research institutions of their respective countries as well as exchanges between academics.
The Sides agreed to strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation based on the historical ties and sense of fraternity between the two peoples, through such channels as the Korean Cultural Consultancy, which was opened in Ankara in October 2011.
The Sides noted the need to establish their respective cultural centers in each other’s capitals to further enhance and diversify the cultural ties.
International Cooperation and Security
The Sides agreed to coordinate and cooperate closely on a range of issues including the global economy, nuclear security, terrorism, development and environment.
The Sides stressed the importance of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit during 26-27 March 2012, which aims to strengthen nuclear security as well as reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism, and instructed their officials to work together for the success of the Summit.
The Sides reaffirmed their shared interest in and commitment to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, including the verifiable denuclearization of the Peninsula in a peaceful manner.
The Sides reaffirmed that the G-20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation and agreed to continue to work closely within the G-20 process.
The Sides expressed their shared interest and commitment to global peace and stability and undertook to continue to actively cooperate on key matters in pursuit of this shared vision.
The Sides shared the view that the State Visit has served to reaffirm anew the potential for the development of the bilateral relations and represents a milestone, showing the way for further advances in the future.
Signed in duplicate at Ankara, on the 6th day of February, 2012, in the English language.
For the Republic of Korea For the Republic of Turkey
Lee Myung-bak Abdullah Gül
President of the Republic of Korea President of the Republic of Turkey
