SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed the warm and longstanding relations between Singapore and Turkey during a meeting in Istanbul on Friday (June 19).
In a Facebook post, PM Wong said: “President Erdogan and I had a fruitful exchange on how to further deepen these ties, creating even more opportunities for our businesses and people.
“We also discussed the rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, reaffirming our shared commitment to a rules-based international order.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement that the leaders discussed ways to build on their strategic partnership, as well as the Turkey-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, to strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and transport.
They also discussed ways to increase bilateral engagements, including through more high-level visits, and welcomed Turkey’s intent to increase its engagement with Asean, said MFA.
PM Wong said that the friendly relations with Turkey run deep.
“While our formal diplomatic ties were established in 1969, our historical links trace all the way back to 1865, when the Ottoman Empire first established a Consulate in Singapore,” he added.
PM Wong was in Istanbul while on transit from Kazan, where he attended the Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit.
He last met President Erdogan on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg in November 2025. - The Straits Times/ANN
