It is a privilege to participate the first meeting of the “Turkey-Korea Cooperation Dialogue” which brings together distinguished academicians and businessmen of both countries.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to once again thank to my colleagues in the MOFAT for hosting this dialogue mechanism. It is my sincere belief that we will definitely benefit from the views and opinions to be freely voiced this afternoon.

“Turkey-Korea Cooperation Dialogue” will be carried within the context of the Action Plan envisaged to be signed during the upcoming visit of His Excellency Kim Sung Hwan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea, to Turkey. Pending signing of the Action Plan, both sides decided to hold the first meeting on an “ad hoc” basis among academicians and businessmen.

I am confident that we will be hearing interesting views from the distinguished participants regarding present and future of our relations. Your intellectual knowledge and experiences will without doubt shed light on our efforts in further enhancing our exemplary relations both on bilateral and international fora within all avenues.

Turkey and Korea are today’s rising powers in terms of politics and economics in the far east and the far west of Asia. Two brotherly countries, seemingly far away from each other, are actually getting closer and closer everyday and being recognized and valued by their contributions to the regional and global peace and stability as well as in combating against global challenges.

We are on the eve of very important and high level visits from both sides. His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, is expected to attend the Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Seoul on 26-27 March 2012. And His Excellency Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and His Excellency the President, Lee Myung-bak, are expected to visit Turkey.

However, it is difficult to say that the economic and commercial relations are matching with the level of our political cooperation and are nowhere near the existing potential. We should be creative and flexible to find ways to bring down the exceptional trade deficit that Turkey is encountering. We should dwell on further enhancing our cooperation on avenues like trade, investments, wide range – industry including defense industry, tourism, culture and energy.

We should do everything to conclude the FTA as soon as possible. We should find ways to overcome the outstanding issues slowing down the process. Furthermore, we must exert every effort to make use of the existing mechanisms that we have - like Business Council and Joint Economic Committee.