SEOUL– Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong met Friday with his Uzbek counterpart, Abdulaziz Kamilov, and discussed ways to expand trade and other cooperation, the ministry said.
During the talks, the two sides agreed to work closely together for a bilateral trade pact in the service sector in earnest, as agreed at their leaders’ virtual summit in January, the ministry said.
Chung also hoped that Seoul’s development cooperation projects, such as the establishment of an ICT-based medical system and capacity-building programs for early childhood education, will contribute to social and economic advancement in Uzbekistan .
Calling Uzbekistan a key partner for South Korea’s New Northern Policy aimed at deepening economic ties with Russia and Eurasian nations, Chung also said that Seoul hopes to work further with the Central Asian countries for regional co-prosperity.
Chung also asked for Tashkent’s continued support for and attention to the 180,000 ethnic Koreans living in Uzbekistan, the highest number in the former Soviet Union region, according to the ministry.
Source: Yonhap News Agency