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TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 01: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a lunch hosted by Toshihiro Nikai, the secretary-general of Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party and chairman of Japan-Turkey Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group on July 01, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan and Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy also attended the lunch on Monday. Turkey and Japan share similar cultural values such as hard work, courage, discipline, despite differences in language and distances spanning thousands of miles, the Turkish president said on Monday. Erdogan said more than 170,000 Japanese people visited the "Treasures and Tradition of 'Lale' [Tulip] in the Ottoman Empire" exhibition. Erdogan also said a photo exhibition featuring the works of renowned Turkish-Armenian photographer Ara Guler at the 800-year-old Tofukuji Temple in Kyoto would receive the same interest from Japanese people. "We hope to introduce Turkey’s rich cultural heritage to our Japanese friends with the programs we will organize throughout the year," Erdogan said. Erdogan also emphasized the potential for cooperation not only in the political and economic fields but also in culture and science. "One of the most critical projects between Turkey and Japan is the Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology, planned to be established in Istanbul. We are working to open this university in a short time," Erdogan said. (Footage by Turkish Presidency Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)