Turkish president: Turkey, Japan share similar culture

TOKYO

Turkey and Japan share similar cultural values such as hard work, courage, discipline, despite differences in language and distances spanning thousands of miles, the Turkish president said on Monday.

Speaking at a lunch gathering hosted by the head of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, Toshihiro Nikai, in the Japanese capital of Tokyo, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said more than 170,000 Japanese people visited the "Treasures and Tradition of 'Lale' [Tulip] in the Ottoman Empire" exhibition.

Erdogan also said a photo exhibition featuring the works of renowned Turkish-Armenian photographer Ara Guler at the 800-year-old Tofukuji Temple in Kyoto would receive the same interest from Japanese people.

"We hope to introduce Turkey’s rich cultural heritage to our Japanese friends with the programs we will organize throughout the year," Erdogan said.

Erdogan also emphasized the potential for cooperation not only in the political and economic fields but also in culture and science.

"One of the most critical projects between Turkey and Japan is the Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology, planned to be established in Istanbul. We are working to open this university in a short time," Erdogan said.

Erdogan also received Oshima Tadamori, Speaker of the House of Representatives, at the Japanese parliament.

"Japan has a special place in the hearts of the Turkish people. In 2013, we crowned our friendship with a strategic partnership. I believe that parliamentary diplomacy plays an important role in the development of cooperation between countries," Erdogan said in the meeting.

*Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic