South Korean President set for bilateral summits with leaders of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan

Seoul, Sep 15 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to hold a series of bilateral summits with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday, with cooperation in energy and critical minerals high on the agenda, his office said.

The back-to-back meetings will be held on the occasion of the inaugural South Korea-Central Asia Summit that will also bring together the heads of state of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday. Lee held a bilateral summit with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Monday.

During the summit with President Serdar Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan, Lee plans to discuss ways to increase practical cooperation between the countries, as well as regional and global issues, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.

Following the talks, a ceremony will be held to exchange 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between the two governments, with the leaders in attendance, reports Yonhap news agency.

A state luncheon will also be held for Berdimuhamedow, offering authentic Korean food that reflects the Turkmen leader’s personal tastes and the two countries’ culinary cultures and ingredients, according to the presidential spokesperson.

As a gift, Lee plans to present Berdimuhamedow, who is known to enjoy horseback riding, with a picture frame depicting a hunting scene dating back to the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo (37 B.C.-A.D. 668).

Lee will later hold a summit with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on future areas of bilateral cooperation, including the economy and trade, energy and critical minerals, artificial intelligence and science, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, according to the spokesperson.

During the summit, the two countries plan to upgrade their relationship to a future-oriented comprehensive strategic partnership, allowing them to establish the basis for more advanced strategic cooperation through collaboration in areas such as economic security, cutting-edge industries and science and technology.

A ceremony will follow to exchange 13 bilateral MOUs.

A state dinner will then be held for Tokayev. Lee will present him with a table tennis racket in consideration of his love for the sport and a taekwondo uniform to mark Kazakhstan’s hosting of the World Taekwondo Championships next year.

–IANS

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