Ankara: President Lee Jae Myung met with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral partnership.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting took place on the sidelines of this year's NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Lee is attending the summit at the invitation of the NATO chief.

At the start of the meeting, Lee expressed his pleasure in meeting Rutte in person for the first time. Rutte, in turn, thanked Lee for his efforts in further strengthening ties between South Korea and NATO.

During the meeting, the two were expected to hold in-depth discussions on ways to expand cooperation and further solidify mutual trust and solidarity.

The two-day NATO summit brings together the leaders of NATO's 32 member states, along with those of partner nations, including South Korea. The summit is set to end Wednesday.