Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Ankara to engage in summit talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with a focus on enhancing economic collaboration in the defense and nuclear energy sectors. This visit marks the conclusion of Lee's four-nation tour across the Middle East and Africa, which included a stop in Johannesburg for the Group of 20 (G20) summit.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee's agenda on the first day includes summit discussions with Erdogan aimed at expanding economic cooperation, particularly in defense and nuclear energy industries. Defense ties between the two nations are significant, with Turkey utilizing a version of South Korea's K9 self-propelled howitzer and collaborating with Korean defense contractor Hyundai Rotem on the Altay main battle tank program. Additionally, nuclear energy is anticipated to be a key topic, as South Korea is interested in Turkey's project to construct a second nuclear power plant in Sinop, located on the Black Sea coast.
This meeting will be their second interaction within the week, following their encounter at the MIKTA group gathering during the G20 summit. MIKTA comprises five middle-power countries: Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia.
Prior to the summit, Lee is set to visit the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founding father and first president. The following day, he plans to honor Korean War veterans by laying a wreath at their cemetery and will also engage with the Korean community residing in Turkey. Notably, Turkey contributed over 21,000 troops to the U.N. forces during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, ranking as the fourth-largest contributor.
President Lee is expected to return to South Korea on Wednesday, wrapping up his 10-day international tour, which also included visits to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.