Turkish FM discusses ties with Japan, Iran

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday discussed bilateral relations with his Japanese and Iranian counterparts.

"The cooperation between Turkey and Japan is gaining momentum in many fields. We hope this momentum will continue with high-level visits," Cavusoglu wrote on his official Twitter account after a bilateral meeting with his Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.

The top diplomats met on the sidelines of the 51st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Singapore.

Cavusoglu said they also discussed bilateral issues and regional developments.

He also met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

"At our meeting in Singapore with Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of Iran, we discussed bilateral and regional issues," Cavusoglu said.

The first-ever ASEAN-Turkey Trilateral Ministerial Meeting was held on Wednesday.

The trilateral meeting follows last year's establishment of a sectoral dialogue partnership between Ankara and ASEAN countries.

Cavusoglu on Thursday said Turkey regards ASEAN as "one of the most successful" regional integration schemes in the world.

"We are pleased with our rapidly growing institutional relationship with ASEAN and its member states," he said.

Ankara formed ties with ASEAN in 1999 and attended its first summit in 2013. Also, Turkey got observer status in ASEAN’s multinational police force in 2014 and became a sectoral dialogue partner at last year’s ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Philippines.