Seoul, November 03 (QNA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung discussed Tuesday ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in several fields, particularly the defense industry, trade and energy.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart, Erdogan said the two sides had discussed steps to expand cooperation across various sectors. He expressed Turkiye's ambition to increase bilateral trade from $11 billion to $15 billion in a balanced and sustainable manner.

He described the defense industry as one of the main pillars of the strategic partnership between the two countries, highlighting the importance of expanding successful joint projects.

Erdogan also noted that Turkiye and South Korea largely shared common positions on a number of international issues, reaffirming his country's support for a dialogue-based approach to achieving lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

For his part, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced that his country and Turkiye had agreed to deepen cooperation in the defense industry. He also noted the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in financing nuclear power plant projects.

Lee underscored the importance of bilateral relations and South Korea's commitment to strengthening its partnership with Turkiye across various economic and strategic fields. (QNA)