Japan wants to enhance ties with Turkey: PM Abe

By Fuat Kabakci

TOKYO

Tokyo wants to develop relations with Turkey in every field, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said on Tuesday.

"We want to improve relations with Turkey in every field and at every level," Abe said at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the capital Tokyo.

Cavusoglu, for his part, said he had a "very productive" meeting with the officials to further enhance the bilateral relations during his three-day visit to Japan.

"We had a meeting with Prime Minister @AbeShinzo of #Japan. Our bilateral relations with Japan, that will take over G20 term presidency in 2019, continue to grow steadily in all fields," Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter.

Ahead of his meeting with Abe, Cavusoglu met Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko and discussed economic relations between the two countries.

"At our meeting with Economy, Trade & Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko of #Japan, we emphasized that #Turkey offers opportunities for Japanese investors to reach Europe, Middle East and Africa markets," Cavusoglu tweeted.

Hiroshige said the two countries need to develop economic relations more since Turkey is an important country for Japan in the region.

Earlier Tuesday, Cavusoglu also met with Japanese politicians and businessmen.

* Diyar Guldogan from Ankara contributed to this story.