Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday highlighted the historic friendship and close ties between Türkiye and South Korea.
Erdogan and his wife, Emine Erdogan, attended the dinner at the Presidential Palace in Seoul, hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung during their official visit.
Expressing his pleasure at visiting the Republic of Korea again after eight years, Erdogan thanked President Lee and his wife for their warm hospitality.
"We are two nations located at opposite ends of Asia, far apart geographically but close at heart. We are the finest example of how distance cannot stand in the way when destiny brings people together," he said.
"As a Korean proverb says, 'Even if the edges of your clothes barely touch, it is destiny.' Seventy-six years ago, destiny brought us together in the struggle for this land's independence, making us blood brothers, as you call the Turkish people.
"In fact, we are two ancient peoples who have been in contact with each other for more than a thousand years. We want to build on this shared history and take our relations towards new horizons that will contribute to the prosperity of our citizens and the establishment of peace around the world," he further said.
Erdogan said his comprehensive talks with Lee had given him great hope for achieving these goals.
He thanked Lee and his wife for making the Turkish delegation feel at home and conveyed his warmest greetings to the friendly and allied Korean people on behalf of Türkiye's 80 million citizens.
