Bilateral ties between Turkey and Spain continued to grow as their economic and social relations have scaled up over the past two decades, Spain's foreign minister said on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital Madrid, Jose Manuel Albares referred to a bilateral summit held in December in which the two sides emphasized their "comprehensive partnership."

This summit was not a sudden step forward, but a continuation of the relations already in place said Albares.

The minister underlined that both countries shared a variety of similarities as they were part of the common region of the Mediterranean, while also being NATO allies and co-founders of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

He further noted that the interest of Spanish companies toward Turkey has grown and that Spanish investments there had increased over ten-fold over the past two decades, while their people had gotten closer in the process.

Bilateral cooperation between Turkey and Spain is critical for peace, tranquility and welfare in the entire region, the Turkish Ambassador to Madrid Burak Akçapar said recently, as Turkey opened an honorary consulate in the city of Cordoba in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia.

Akçapar had noted that the leaders of the two countries had described their relations as a "comprehensive partnership," as they attended the seventh Turkey-Spain Intergovernmental Summit held in Ankara on Nov. 17.

Underlining that Turkey and Spain are both strategically located NATO allies relevant to Europe's security, stability and prosperity, he said bilateral cooperation was critical for peace, tranquility and welfare in the entire region.