Lee returns home from Central Asian trip

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak returned home Friday after a three-nation trip to Central Asia that led to a string of economic cooperation agreements, including the signing of contracts on three massive development projects worth a combined US$12 billion.
   Lee also used the six-day trip to Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to lay the groundwork for future economic cooperation with the resources-rich nations, and to bolster his personal relationships with their leaders.
   The trip to Mongolia led to the elevation of relations between the two countries to a "comprehensive partnership" and two resources cooperation agreements, including a pledge to conduct joint exploration and development of uranium ore and rare earth materials.
   In Uzbekistan, a US$4.1 billion package of deals was signed between the two sides to develop the Surgil gas field near the Aral Sea and build a gas and chemicals plant, the largest-ever deal since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.
   The visit to Kazakhstan produced agreements and contracts on two $4 billion projects to build a coal-fired power plant in the southern city of Balkhash and to set up a joint venture to push for a $4 billion project to build a petrochemical complex in Atyrau on the northern banks of the Caspian Sea.