Philippine Foreign Minister Alan Peter Cayetano (left) and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon meet at the Government Complex Seoul on Sept. 4. (Prime Minister’s Office)
By Kim Young Shin
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon hosted a meeting with Philippine Foreign Minister Alan Peter Cayetano to talk about ways to develop a cooperative relationship between Seoul and Manila, at the Government Complex Seoul on Sept. 4.
“The Philippines is the first Southeast Asian country to establish diplomatic ties with Korea and is also a strong ally for many years that took part in the Korean War. The two countries have built a firm friendship across all manners of areas, such as politics, the economy, personal exchanges and promoting democracy,” said Prime Minister Lee. “I hope for tighter cooperation with the Philippines, the ASEAN chair this year.”
Prime Minister Lee also mentioned cooperation from the Philippines regarding North Korea’s recent nuclear weapons and missile threats, and asked for continuous support and collaboration from the Philippines so that the South Korean government will be able to peacefully solve the security issues facing the Korean Peninsula.
Foreign Minister Cayetano said, “I hope for continued development of the mutually reciprocal relationship between Korea and the Philippines across many fields. We support Korea’s policies toward North Korea. ASEAN will continue to actively support Korea for peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
ysk1111@korea.kr
