Korea has solidified its economic and diplomatic ties with Egypt and India.

On March 25, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam discussed ways to further enhance the Korea-Egypt comprehensive cooperative partnership with his Egyptian counterparts Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Sanad Loza and National Security Adviser Fayza Aboulnaga in Cairo.

The top diplomats acknowledged that both countries had cooperated across various areas of mutual interest, including political affairs, the economy, the arts and defense, ever since they established diplomatic ties in 1995.

The two sides also vowed to work together to “maintain momentum for cooperative efforts among high-ranking officials, increase trade, investment and development programs, and, finally, to cooperate on regional issues.”

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First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam (fourth from right) holds talks with diplomatic and security officials from the Egyptian government, in Cairo on March 25. They talked about ways to enhance both nations’ comprehensive cooperative partnership.

The Korean vice minister called on the Cairo administration to show more support for Korean businesses as they bid to be part of infrastructure projects across the nation, such as developing a subway system in Cairo.

The Egyptian officials hoped to see more participation of Korean companies in projects involving, not only infrastructure, but also education, technologies, electronics and vehicles.

Regarding issues related to North Korea, both sides mentioned that Cairo, as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council in 2016 and 2017, had actively engaged in the adoption and implementation of resolutions against the North. The governments agreed to continue to work together to deal with North Korean issues.

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First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam (right) and his Indian counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Preeti Saran (left), talk about ways to further enhance the Korea-India partnership, in New Delhi on March 28.

The vice minister moved on to India on March 28, where he met with his Indian counterpart, Preeti Saran. Stressing that, “We should continue to boost our strategic partnership,” the two vice ministers touched upon a wide range of areas of cooperation, from trade, investment and infrastructure development, through to politics, security, society, the arts and tourism.

The two nations agreed to hold joint meetings between the foreign affairs and defense ministries within the year as part of efforts to deepen mutual ties. The ninth Korea-India Joint Commission will also be held soon, so as to invigorate bilateral dialogue between Seoul and New Delhi.

The Korean vice minister, in particular, called on the Indian government to help Korea get more involved in developmental projects across India, worth about USD 10 billion, such as railways and harbors. In response, the Indian vice minister hoped that more Korean firms, armed with highly advanced technologies, would come over to expand their business, not only in the infrastructure field, but in the textile and electronics industries, too.

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
jiae5853@korea.kr