Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting in Ankara, capital of Turkey, on Nov. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Turkish Presidential Office)
ANKARA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim here on Monday.
Erdogan said that Turkey attaches great importance to China-Turkey relations and is willing to maintain high-level exchanges to address issues concerning partnership through strategic cooperation.
"I'm pleased to see the consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and me in our previous meetings being effectively implemented," he said.
He also agreed to align China's Belt and Road Initiative with Turkey's "Middle Corridor" project, push ahead with major cooperation projects such as high speed railway construction and strengthen bilateral cooperation in fields such as tourism, culture and education.
The two countries need to deepen cooperation in security and anti-terrorism and support each other in efforts of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and stability, the president added.
In his meeting with Wang, Yildirim said that frequent high-level mutual visits have played a positive role in boosting bilateral relations between Turkey and China.
He expressed the hope that the two countries could bring their respective potential into full play through joint efforts to step up economic and trade cooperation and accelerate strategic alignment.
The prime minister also pointed out the importance of building high-speed railways as a new Silk Road to promote China-Turkey friendship in the new era.
For his part, Wang said the visit is intended to implement the important consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish President Recep Erdogan, launching the mechanism for consultation between the Chinese and Turkish foreign ministers.
The Chinese side attaches great importance to China-Turkey relations and is willing to keep high level dialogues and strategic communication, Wang added.
He also expressed the hope that the two countries could uphold the spirit of the ancient Silk Road and make joint efforts to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, in order to make new contributions to promoting national development, revitalizing Eurasia and advancing human civilization.
The two sides should also deepen cooperation in security and anti-terrorism and enhance mutual strategic trust to pave the way for all-round cooperation between the two countries, Wang said.
Wang arrived in Ankara on Sunday at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.
