Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (left) and President Park Geun-hye hold summit talks in Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province, China, on Sept. 5.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (left) and President Park Geun-hye hold summit talks in Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province, China, on Sept. 5.

President Park Geun-hye and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi held a summit on Sept. 5 in Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province, China. The two leaders exchanged views on how to substantially boost bilateral ties and how to cooperate on issues involving the Korean Peninsula.

President Park told the Italian leader that, “Considering the economic volume and mutually beneficial industrial structures of Korea and Italy, I believe our two countries will be able to expand the volume of trade and investment.” She said that, “Both countries should share knowhow of design and marketing in the luxury consumer goods sector and expand cooperation in sectors with a lot of added value.”

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi responded by saying that, “Korea is a strong country in terms of innovation, and Italy wishes to use Korea’s innovative technology surrounding cultural properties and museums.” The Italian leader said that the two countries could boost mutual understanding through more student and youth exchanges. He said that both countries could also expand cooperation on industries that can improve quality of life in order to better respond to aging societies, such as robots or the health and medical care sectors.

In regard to issues on the Korean Peninsula, President Park explained to her Italian counterpart the recent provocations committed by North Korea. As Italy shares the same standpoint in regard to reforms at the U.N. Security Council and to North Korean issues, she urged Rome to closely cooperate with Seoul and to actively take part in efforts by the international community to block Pyongyang’s ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.

The Italian leader told President Park that, “We need to pressure North Korea as it has been seriously threatening security on the Korean Peninsula and across the region since the beginning of the year by conducting nuclear weapons tests and firing missiles.”

“Italy fully supports South Korea’s stance and will actively work together with the international community in order to solve issues concerning North Korean nuclear weapons,” he said.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: Cheong Wa Dae
arete@korea.kr