ANKARA

The Turkish and Japanese foreign ministers on Thursday discussed bilateral relations and potential cooperation opportunities via video teleconferencing.

Turkiye's Mevlut Cavusoglu on Twitter said he congratulated Yoshimasa Hayashi on his recent appointment as Japan's foreign minister.

"We discussed our bilateral relations and common areas of cooperation. We are determined to take our strategic partnership to the next level in line with our historical friendship ties," Cavusoglu added.

Providing details on the meeting, the Japanese Embassy in Ankara said in a statement that the meeting lasted approximately 25 minutes.

Hayashi also stressed the importance his country attached to relations with Turkiye, while adding that he wants to further deepen friendly ties by 2024,which will mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The two officials exchanged views on political, economic, cultural, and technological cooperation, as well as on regional matters such as developments in Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan, added the embassy statement.

Hayashi further expressed gratitude for Turkiye's support in this year's UN Security Council non-permanent membership elections, for which Japan stands as a candidate, along with Turkiye's declaration that it will participate in Expo 2025, scheduled to be held on May 2-Nov. 23, 2025 in the city of Osaka.

According to the statement, the Turkish minister conveyed his concern about the missile launch by North Korea and expressed support for the stance taken by Japan.

As close allies, Turkiye and Japan enjoy strong bilateral ties, dating back to the Ottoman era.

Diplomatic relations began in 1924, followed by the establishment of the first Turkish mission in Japan in 1925.

Political relations were upgraded to the level of strategic partnership in 2013.