President Moon speaks with UAE and Egypt leaders... Explains COVID-19 response and postponement of overseas visits

UAE Crown Prince "Trust Between Leaders Remains Unchanged"... Egyptian President Al Sisi "Understands Postponement of Presidential Visit"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the afternoon of the 5th, President Moon Jae-in had a 20-minute phone call with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the same afternoon, President Moon also had a 20-minute phone call with Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, President of Egypt. These calls were made as a gesture of understanding regarding the postponement of the scheduled visits in March due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation.

Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for the Blue House, explained on the 5th, "President Moon sought understanding from both leaders regarding the inability to proceed with the visits to the UAE and Egypt, which were scheduled for mid-March, due to efforts to focus on COVID-19 response. They exchanged views on mutual interests, including recent international cooperation measures related to COVID-19 response."

President Moon emphasized to both leaders, "Korea is fully anticipating and controlling this situation. We are conducting COVID-19 tests on more people than any other country in the fastest manner, and by transparently disclosing accurate statistics and current status daily, the entire nation is united in overcoming this crisis."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Crown Prince Mohamed said, "We deeply trust Korea’s high-level and proactive quarantine measures and outstanding capabilities in responding to COVID-19," and added, "We will actively cooperate with Korea in all necessary ways during the process of overcoming COVID-19."

Crown Prince Mohamed expressed regarding the postponement of the visit, "I am truly glad to hear President Moon’s voice. The personal trust between the two leaders will remain unchanged," and said, "Korea’s difficulties are our difficulties, and we fully understand the decision to postpone the UAE visit."

Crown Prince Mohamed explained that the event was postponed with the expectation of a "better opportunity" to commemorate together the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, symbolizing the Korea-UAE ‘Special Strategic Partnership.’ President Moon highly appreciated that the UAE has consistently kept open channels for human exchanges such as regular flights with Korea, demonstrating unwavering trust in Korea.

Spokesperson Kang said, "The two leaders agreed to closely consult to further develop the ‘Special Strategic Partnership’ through strengthening cooperation in various fields such as energy and defense industries, marking the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Spokesperson Kang also said, "President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt highly evaluated Korea’s response to COVID-19."

President Al Sisi said, "Korea is a country with a high global standing, which was well demonstrated during the COVID-19 response process," and expressed, "I pay tribute to the President’s leadership." He conveyed his belief that Korea will fully overcome the current situation through thorough quarantine measures and advanced medical technology.

President Al Sisi expressed full understanding of the decision to postpone the visit to Egypt and added that he hopes President Moon’s visit to Egypt will be rescheduled.

Spokesperson Kang explained, "President Moon highly appreciates that the Egyptian government is taking only reasonable measures to ensure there is no inconvenience in exchanges between the two peoples, and he said that both sides should pay attention and make efforts so that exchanges between the two countries can continue smoothly."

The two leaders of Korea and Egypt agreed to closely consult to further develop the ‘Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership’ through strengthening cooperation in various fields such as economy, healthcare, and infrastructure, marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.

President Al Sisi proposed, "I want to take Korea as a development model," and said, "If Korean companies enter the Suez Economic Zone, they will be able to use the zone as a foothold to enter the Middle East, Africa, and European markets."

President Moon responded, "Just as our companies like LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics have invested in Egypt and achieved good results, I hope many Korean companies will continue to participate and contribute to Egypt’s national projects in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.