President Lee Myung-bak says South Korea and Turkey have agreed to boost their bilateral ties into a comprehensive and future-oriented strategic partnership.

President Lee Myung-bak on Monday made the remarks at the summit talks with Turkish President Abdullah Gul at the capital city of Ankara.

Lee said that the two nations have agreed to conclude a bilateral free trade agreement by the first half of the year to expand trade and personnel exchanges, noting that bilateral trade stands at about six billion U.S. dollars.

The president added that South Korea will sign an agreement to take part in a Turkish project to build a thermal power plant in the Afsin-Elbistan region in southern Turkey. He also announced that the two nations agreed to resume negotiations on a project to build a nuclear power plant in the Eurasian nation.

Lee said that the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in various areas, including trade, culture, defense and tourism.

The president also thanked the Turkish government for showing steadfast support for Seoul’s policies regarding the North Korean nuclear issue.