ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Ankara focused on steps to advance defense industry cooperation between the two countries.

"Our discussions with the relevant institutions on the establishment of a clean power plant are also ongoing," Erdogan said in a joint news conference with Lee.

He said Ankara sees opportunities to work with Seoul across multiple regions, including Iraq, Africa, Central Asia, and in the reconstruction of Syria and Gaza.

He added that both Türkiye and South Korea share a common stance on Gaza, advocating for maintaining the ceasefire, prevention of killing of innocent people and two-state solution, and a two-state solution.

On ongoing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan said that Türkiye will continue all diplomatic efforts to ensure "lasting peace" in Ukraine, especially through the Istanbul talks.

For his part, Lee said that the strategic partnership between the two nations "will grow even stronger and be passed on to future generations."

Earlier, Erdogan welcomed his South Korean counterpart in an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Türkiye’s capital.

Following the ceremony, they held a bilateral meeting as well as co-chaired a delegation meeting.