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President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea held summit talks with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud on the occasion of his participation in the opening ceremony of the Janadriyah Cultural Festival of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on February 8.

President Lee began the meeting by expressing his gratitude for Korea’s having been invited as a “guest of honor” to the festival, which is Saudi Arabia’s largest annual cultural event. The two leaders agreed to take this occasion to promote the expansion of cultural exchange and deepening of friendship between the people of the two countries.

President Lee Myung-bak (left) meets Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah (right)
on February 8 (photo courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae).

Calling attention to the need for greater cooperation between Korea and Saudi Arabia in various sectors, President Lee also requested continued effort on behalf of the Saudi Arabian monarch to allow for Korean companies to engage in businesses and offer services that will benefit the Saudi people.

King Abdullah responded first with an acknowledgement of the considerable progress that has already been made in bilateral cooperation and then with an expression of his intention to take a greater interest in furthering such progress.

With this year marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, President Lee and King Abdullah both agreed that the experiences and friendship of past years should serve as a foundation for expanded cooperation in a wider range of sectors, including cultural exchange, health care, national defense, and renewable energy.

Regarding the cooperation in the field of heath care, with the two leaders in attendance, the health ministries of both countries signed an agreement outlining concrete measures for implementing such an exchange.

By Kwon Jungyun
Korea.net Staff Writer

* Source : Website of Cheong Wa Dae (Korean Presidential Office)