ID :
69307
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 08:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/69307
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean president to ask G-8 for support on regional security
S. Korean president to ask G-8 for support on regional security
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will seek the
support of his country's industrialized allies in bolstering security on the
Korean Peninsula when he attends the G-8 summit in Italy this week, officials
said.
Lee departed from Seoul on Tuesday for Poland, where he is to meet with his
counterpart, Lech Kaczynski, before attending the summit in the central Italian
city of L'Aquila.
"President Lee and President Kaczynski will discuss ways to strengthen the
future-oriented partnership between the countries, established in 2004, as the
countries mark the 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year,"
Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said earlier in a press release.
Lee will also hold talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and attend a
South Korea-Poland business forum to explore ways to increase economic
cooperation between the countries.
The president will leave Warsaw on Wednesday to take part in the extended summit
of the G-8 -- involving Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia
and the United States.
Lee's participation comes as part of Seoul's membership in the Major Economies
Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate that will commence at the end of the G-8
summit. The forum will also be attended by the Group of Five, or G-5, emerging
economies, consisting of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.
"During his second participation in the MEF, following his participation at the
Toyako (Japan) meeting last year, President Lee will explain the Korean
government's efforts to effectively fight climate change and explain our
country's plans to promote international cooperation on the issue," Cheong Wa Dae
said.
The president will also hold a series of bilateral talks with other heads of
state on the sidelines of the G-8 summit to discuss ways to improve ties and to
seek their support for bolstering security on the Korean Peninsula following
North Korea's second nuclear test on May 25.
During his trip to Italy, the South Korean president will also make a brief trip
to the Vatican City for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, according to a Cheong
Wa Dae official.
He will leave Saturday for Sweden where he is set to hold talks with Swedish
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who assumed the rotating six-month presidency
of the European Union at the beginning of the month.
"President Lee's trip to Sweden will provide an important opportunity to
strengthen the country's cooperative ties with the European Union," Cheong Wa Dae
spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said.
South Korea and the European Union have been negotiating a free trade agreement.
Lee has said the two sides will likely conclude the talks before the end of the
month.
Lee will also meet with Sweden's King Carl Gustaf during his three-day visit
there before heading home next Monday.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will seek the
support of his country's industrialized allies in bolstering security on the
Korean Peninsula when he attends the G-8 summit in Italy this week, officials
said.
Lee departed from Seoul on Tuesday for Poland, where he is to meet with his
counterpart, Lech Kaczynski, before attending the summit in the central Italian
city of L'Aquila.
"President Lee and President Kaczynski will discuss ways to strengthen the
future-oriented partnership between the countries, established in 2004, as the
countries mark the 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year,"
Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said earlier in a press release.
Lee will also hold talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and attend a
South Korea-Poland business forum to explore ways to increase economic
cooperation between the countries.
The president will leave Warsaw on Wednesday to take part in the extended summit
of the G-8 -- involving Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia
and the United States.
Lee's participation comes as part of Seoul's membership in the Major Economies
Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate that will commence at the end of the G-8
summit. The forum will also be attended by the Group of Five, or G-5, emerging
economies, consisting of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.
"During his second participation in the MEF, following his participation at the
Toyako (Japan) meeting last year, President Lee will explain the Korean
government's efforts to effectively fight climate change and explain our
country's plans to promote international cooperation on the issue," Cheong Wa Dae
said.
The president will also hold a series of bilateral talks with other heads of
state on the sidelines of the G-8 summit to discuss ways to improve ties and to
seek their support for bolstering security on the Korean Peninsula following
North Korea's second nuclear test on May 25.
During his trip to Italy, the South Korean president will also make a brief trip
to the Vatican City for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, according to a Cheong
Wa Dae official.
He will leave Saturday for Sweden where he is set to hold talks with Swedish
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who assumed the rotating six-month presidency
of the European Union at the beginning of the month.
"President Lee's trip to Sweden will provide an important opportunity to
strengthen the country's cooperative ties with the European Union," Cheong Wa Dae
spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said.
South Korea and the European Union have been negotiating a free trade agreement.
Lee has said the two sides will likely conclude the talks before the end of the
month.
Lee will also meet with Sweden's King Carl Gustaf during his three-day visit
there before heading home next Monday.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
