ISTANBUL (Bernama-Anadolu): Turkiye's foreign minister said Saturday he discussed ways to bolster cooperation in the aviation sector with his Indonesian counterpart, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
"There is a high demand for Turkish Airlines flights to Indonesia. We discussed ways to strengthen our cooperation in the aviation sector," Hakan Fidan said during a news conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi at the Asean-Turkiye Sectoral Dialogue Partnership Trilateral Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Fidan stated that the 2016 coup bid was one of the worst acts of terrorism in Turkish history.
On July 15, 2016, Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) orchestrated a coup bid in Turkiye which left 253 people dead and 2,734 injured.
The day is commemorated as the Democracy and National Unity Day in Türkiye.
"In our meeting today, we discussed the importance of combating terrorism and transnational crimes. We exchanged our views on wide regional and international issues, " Fidan said.
They also discussed global challenges including Islamophobia and desecration of the Muslim holy book Quran, he added.
Recalling that Turkiye and Indonesia established a high-level strategic council in 2022, Fidan said: "This was a milestone in our relations. This mechanism will be a concrete step forward to carry out relations into a new phase."
"Indonesia is also a diplomatic partner under our Asia Anew Initiative," he said.
They also exchanged views on holding the first meeting under the Asia Anew Initiative, which aims at capitalising on potential opportunities of cooperation with Asian countries.
Fidan added Indonesia is Türkiye's strategic partner with a longstanding friendship and collaboration.
"Indonesia is one of the first countries to reach out to Turkiye following the devastating earthquakes in February. We thank Indonesia for the support extended," he said.
More than 50,000 people were killed and over 107,200 injured in the powerful earthquakes that rocked southern Turkiye on Feb 6, according to the latest official figures.
"We value our relations and remain determined to strengthen them in all possible fields," he added.
Fidan also stressed that the defence industry is one of the prominent topics in the Turkey-Indonesia bilateral agenda.
He highlighted that Turkish defence industry companies are leading in specific areas and emphasised the potential for further collaboration in this field.
Fidan will visit Malaysia on July 15-16 and will be hosted by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Bernama quoted Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement on Saturday.
This is Fidan’s first visit to Malaysia since being appointed as the Foreign Minister on June 3, 2023. - Bernama-Anadolu
