President Lee Jae-myung met with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, the Administrative Director of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on September 18 at the Blue House to discuss ways to expand practical cooperation between the two countries.
According to Yonhap News, Chief Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung stated in a written briefing that President Lee welcomed Al Mubarak, who returned to South Korea after about eight months since his last visit in January.
During the meeting, President Lee recalled the commitment made during UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's state visit to South Korea last November to establish a 'century-long partnership.' He expressed gratitude for the UAE's prioritization of oil supply to South Korea amid the unstable situation in the Middle East.
Earlier, Kang Hoon-sik, the President's Chief of Staff, announced in March that a special envoy for strategic economic cooperation had visited the UAE and agreed to urgently import 24 million barrels of oil.
President Lee evaluated that practical cooperation in various fields, including defense, advanced technology, nuclear power, and culture, has steadily progressed based on close communication between Kang and Al Mubarak. He also requested that Al Mubarak convey his best regards to President Mohammed.
In response, Al Mubarak conveyed President Mohammed's regards, stating, "The people of the UAE recognize South Korea as a grateful brotherly nation that stood by us in difficult times."
He added, "The cooperation between our two countries, which has developed around energy and infrastructure, is expanding into diverse and future-oriented areas such as investment, space, health, and education."
In light of this, President Lee emphasized the importance of continuing communication and cooperation based on trust between the two leaders, urging the creation of tangible results that the citizens of both countries can feel.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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