Sheikh Mohammed receives South Korean President Moon Jae-in at Expo 2020 Dubai
Both leaders discussed ways of enhancing bilateral relations
Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday met with President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of South Korea and his accompanying delegation at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Both leaders discussed ways of enhancing bilateral relations and witnessed the signing of bilateral agreements.
President Jae-in on Saturday started his official visit to the UAE.
On Sunday, during the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed praised the strategic partnership between the UAE and the Republic of Korea, and the keenness of both countries to further boost bilateral relations in various areas.
Top trade partner
“The strategic partnership between the UAE and the Republic of Korea provides many opportunities to enhance cooperation in various fields, including the economy, trade, food security, health, culture, space, energy and tourism,” Sheikh Mohammed said, noting that the UAE is the Republic of Korea’s top trade partner in the region.
“We are proud of the strategic cooperation between the UAE and the Republic of Korea. Prominent strategic projects such as the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant are proof of the depth of relations between the two friendly nations. We also appreciate the active participation of the Republic of Korea pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
The relations between the UAE and the Republic of Korea have witnessed significant progress in a number of vital sectors, with the volume of non-oil trade between the two countries reaching $4.8 billion (around Dh billion) in 2020, Sheikh Mohammed said. “During the next phase, we plan to draw up plans to further expand cooperation in areas of common interest, as well as explore development opportunities in priority sectors.”
Attending the meeting were Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Airline and Group; Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence.
President Moon Jae-in thanked Sheikh Mohammed and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for the hospitality, highlighting the strong ties between the two friendly countries.
Memorandums of Understanding
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and President Moon Jae-in witnessed the signing of agreements and several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). An MoU was signed between the Ministry of Defence and the Republic of Korea’s Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) on medium and long-term cooperation in the fields of defence industries and technology. The MoU was signed by Major General Dr Mubarak Ghafan Al Jabri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Support and Defence Industries at the Ministry of Defence and Kang Eun-Ho, Korea’s Minister of DAPA.
UAE’s Tawazun Economic Council (Tawazun) signed an MoU with Korea’s LIG Nex1 Co. The MoU was signed by Muammar Abdulla Abushehab, CEO of Tawazun Technology and Innovation and Hyeonsoo Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Business Group.
Two MoU’s between Tawazun and Korea’s Hanwha Systems Co. were signed by Muammar Abdulla Abushehab and Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Systems.
Additionally, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and President Moon Jae-in witnessed the signing of three agreements between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and a number of Korean entities. They include a Framework Agreement between ADNOC and the Export – Import Bank of Korea signed by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, and Moon –Kyn Bang, Chairman and President of The Export – Import Bank of Korea.
A Joint Study Agreement was signed between ADNOC, KNOC and SK Gas hydrogen/ammonia and another agreement between ADNOC and KNOC on ammonia cargo.