K Shanmugam meets Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul

ANKARA: Singapore’s Foreign Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul have noted strong progress in bilateral relations between their countries, particularly since the state visit of then—President S R Nathan to Turkey in June 2009.

A Foreign Ministry statement says Mr Shanmugam and Mr Gul also agreed there’s great potential for deepening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the fields of economics and finance.

In that context, they also noted that Singapore and Turkey could serve as gateways for each other’s companies into their respective regions.

The remarks were made when Mr Shanmugam paid a courtesy call on Mr Gul on Thursday.

Mr Shanmugam is on a three—day visit to Turkey from January 3.

During his trip, he is expected to meet the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Cemil Cicek, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, and other Turkish leaders.

On Friday, Mr Shanmugam will address the Fifth Annual Ambassadors’ Conference organised by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

— CNA/de