Turkish, East Timorese presidents to visit S. Korea this week for talks with Lee

Seoul, November 1 (Yonhap) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta will embark on separate trips to South Korea this week to engage in high-level summits with President Lee Jae Myung.

Erdogan is slated to pay a state visit to South Korea from Monday to Wednesday, culminating in a summit with Lee on Tuesday. This marks Erdogan's first visit to South Korea since 2018 and the second meeting between Turkish and South Korean leaders since Lee's visit to Turkey in November for NATO summit in Ankara.

During their Tuesday summit, Erdogan and Lee are anticipated to deliberate on bolstering bilateral cooperation in trade, investments, defense industry, nuclear power, and emerging sectors. They will also exchange perspectives on the Korean Peninsula and Middle Eastern situations.

Kang Yun-hung, a presidential spokesperson, anticipates that Erdogan's visit will further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries ahead of their 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2022.

East Timorese President Ramos-Horta is set to visit South Korea from Thursday to Saturday on an official visit, marking the first such trip by an East Timorese leader since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2002. The visit is granted by South Korea's invitation.

During their Friday summit, Lee and Ramos-Horta will sign memorandums of understanding on various cooperation areas, including diplomacy, security, intellectual property, climate change, and human exchanges. They will also share views on global issues in a joint press conference.

The East Timorese leader's visit aims to deepen bilateral ties and potentially assist South Korea in contributing to East Timor's sustainable development, regional peace, and prosperity, according to Kang.