Erdoğan: Türkiye and South Korea are distant but close at heart

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife, Emine Erdoğan, attended a banquet held in their honor at the presidential palace during their official visit to Seoul at the invitation of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

“Operativ Məlumat Mərkəzi-OMM” reports, citing TRT Haber, that Erdoğan expressed his pleasure at visiting the Republic of Korea again after eight years and thanked his hosts for their warm hospitality.

“We are two peoples located at opposite ends of Asia, far from one another but close at heart. We are the finest example of how distance cannot be an obstacle when fate brings people together. As a Korean proverb says, ‘Even if the hems of your clothes touch slightly, it is fate.’ Fate brought us together 76 years ago in the cause of this land’s independence. It made us blood brothers, as you call the Turks,” Erdoğan said.

Recalling that the two peoples have been in contact for more than a thousand years, the Turkish leader said comprehensive talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had raised hopes for future cooperation. “We want to carry our shared past toward new horizons where we can contribute to the prosperity of our citizens and the establishment of peace in the world,” he said.

At the end of his speech, Erdoğan conveyed warm greetings to the Korean public on behalf of the 80 million people of Türkiye.