Speaker Woo Meets Turkish Speaker, Proposes Cooperation in Defense and Nuclear Energy

On December 19, National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik met with Numan Kurtulmus, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, in Ankara, Turkey, to discuss cooperation in areas such as defense and nuclear energy.

Woo Wonshik, Speaker of the National Assembly (left in the photo), is taking a commemorative photo with Numan Kurtulmus, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Photo by the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly

Speaker Woo, who is visiting Uzbekistan and Turkey to attend the Korea-Central Asia Parliamentary Speakers' Meeting, met with Speaker Kurtulmus and said, "Korean companies are making significant contributions to the friendly development of both countries through their active presence in Turkey." He added, "However, our companies are facing difficulties due to anti-dumping duties on their products, customs clearance delays for goods such as food, and prolonged issuance periods for residence permits, which hinder the smooth stay of expatriate staff. I hope these inconveniences can be resolved."

Speaker Woo also discussed practical cooperation in various fields, including defense, nuclear energy, infrastructure, and renewable energy. He stated, "I hope that a contract for key components for the second batch production of the Altay tank will be concluded soon, further strengthening defense cooperation between our two countries. I also look forward to expanding bilateral cooperation into diverse fields such as nuclear energy, infrastructure, and renewable energy."

In response, Speaker Kurtulmus said, "Turkey and Korea are brother nations with close ties, forged through events such as the Korean War," adding, "I hope that this meeting will allow us to broadly discuss not only the relationship between our parliaments but also overall cooperation between our two countries."

Speaker Kurtulmus agreed on the need for practical cooperation between the two countries, stating, "Let us strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation in various economic fields, including defense and renewable energy." He continued, "As the global balance of power is being reshaped, it is bringing competition and power struggles within the region. We recognize the difficulties faced by countries in the region together with Korea, and based on dialogue and compromise, we will address these challenges through multilateral cooperation."

Meanwhile, Speaker Woo visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of Turkey, on the same day and wished for the joint prosperity of both countries. In the guestbook, he wrote, "'Peace at home, peace in the world'-I pay tribute to the noble ideals of Ataturk, which live on in the hearts of the Turkish people. Let us move forward to the future together!"