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President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stand subsequent to one another as they ship a joint press assertion after their summit at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Korea and Italy pledged nearer ties in superior industries, together with synthetic intelligence, semiconductors and demanding minerals, throughout Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s go to to Seoul for a summit with President Lee Jae Myung on Monday.
The go to was the primary by an Italian prime minister in 19 years, the primary by a European chief since Lee took workplace final June and the primary by a overseas chief for the reason that presidential workplace returned to Cheong Wa Dae late final yr. The 2 leaders had beforehand met on the G7 assembly in Canada in June and in New York throughout the U.N. Normal Meeting in September.
In his opening remarks, Lee stated cooperation was increasing in superior sectors, together with science and expertise, aerospace and protection. Meloni famous that Korea has grow to be one of many world’s largest per capita customers of Italian items.
“If Italy’s conventional strengths as a scientific powerhouse are mixed with the core DNA of the Republic of Korea as a expertise chief, the 2 nations will have the ability to generate nice synergy,” Lee stated. “I hope the 2 nations will collectively reply to international challenges, together with the local weather disaster, and broaden the inspiration of cooperation as companions that share frequent values.”
President Lee Jae Myung shakes fingers with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni throughout a joint press convention held after their summit at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
In response, Meloni — whose official title is president of the Council of Ministers — stated that though Korea and Italy are geographically distant, the 2 nations share many similarities.
“Each nations pursue creativity and innovation primarily based on conventional values, and in that sense, we will say we share the identical values,” Meloni stated. “The 2 nations ought to additional discover which areas maintain the best potential for improvement.”
She cited crucial mineral provide chains, semiconductors, transportation, infrastructure and investments as key fields for increasing cooperation.
On crucial minerals, she referred to as for “pressing joint analysis and different strategic cooperation,” and stated Italy was working to create an surroundings during which main Korean corporations may spend money on fields similar to robotics and microelectronics.
President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni elevate their glasses throughout an official luncheon held at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
At a joint press convention after the summit, the 2 leaders pledged to deepen their strategic dialogue as a fundamental discussion board for coordinating on regional and international points and agreed to arrange a brand new bilateral motion plan for 2026-2030 to information cooperation between Korea and Italy.
They reaffirmed their dedication to a peaceable and affluent Indo-Pacific, agreed to work carefully to advertise regional stability and underscored their shared pledge to the whole denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to lasting peace there.
The 2 leaders additionally agreed to advertise cooperation in sports activities by leveraging main worldwide occasions, together with the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Video games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Meloni additional conveyed an invite from Italian President Sergio Mattarella for Lee to pay a state go to to Italy later this yr.
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