President Moon's Tour of UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt from 15th to 22nd: "Cooperation in Future Promising Fields"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Blue House announced on the 10th that President Moon Jae-in will visit three Middle Eastern countries? the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Egypt? from the 15th to the 22nd for a 6-night, 8-day trip.

On the 16th, President Moon will first attend a business roundtable with economic representatives from both countries and the official "Korea Day" event at the 2020 Dubai Expo in Dubai, UAE, followed by a meeting with the UAE Prime Minister.

On the 17th, he will attend the opening ceremony of the "Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week" and the Zayed Sustainability Prize award ceremony, then hold talks with Crown Prince Mohammed of Abu Dhabi. This will be their first meeting in four years since the elevation of the bilateral relationship to a special strategic partnership in 2018, where they plan to discuss practical cooperation measures to advance relations between the two countries.

Next, from the 18th to the 19th, he will make an official visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia is South Korea’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and the top country in cumulative overseas construction orders. President Moon will have meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed, attend a business forum with economic representatives from both countries, and meet with the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Finally, from the 20th to the 21st, President Moon will make an official visit to Egypt?the second by a sitting president in 16 years?at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. On the 20th, the two countries will hold a Korea-Egypt summit to discuss sustainable growth and future-oriented cooperation measures, followed by a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding between the two nations. Afterwards, President Moon will attend an official luncheon hosted by President el-Sisi and a business roundtable with economic representatives from both countries.

Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mi stated, "This visit is a postponed Middle East tour originally planned for 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation," adding, "It is expected to expand the foundation of cooperation based on trust and friendship with the leaders of the three major Middle Eastern countries actively pursuing post-oil and industrial diversification."

Additionally, this visit will serve as an opportunity to solidify the cooperation base not only in traditional sectors such as energy, construction, and infrastructure but also in promising future fields including healthcare, engineering technology, marine water resources, hydrogen cooperation, and climate environment. It will also demonstrate our government’s strong commitment to addressing climate and environmental issues through efforts such as bidding for the 2030 Busan Expo and hosting the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP33).

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