CAIRO — President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday held summit talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and agreed to work collectively to advertise peace on the Korean Peninsula and within the Center East whereas strengthening financial and protection business cooperation.
The summit in Cairo passed off throughout Lee’s official go to to Egypt, the primary by a Korean president to the nation in three years.
“The Republic of Korea and Egypt have agreed to work collectively as ‘facilitators of peace’ and collectively contribute to worldwide peace, together with on the Korean Peninsula and within the Center East,” Lee mentioned in a joint press briefing on the presidential palace in Cairo, referring to Korea’s official title.
Lee mentioned President El-Sisi praised Seoul’s efforts to open a brand new period of peaceable coexistence and shared progress on the Korean Peninsula and expressed his full help.
In return, Lee praised Egypt’s efforts to safe a ceasefire and advance reconstruction within the Gaza Strip, in addition to its broader position in selling Center East peace. He added that South Korea will proceed cooperating with Egypt to assist handle the humanitarian disaster going through Gaza refugees.
President Lee Jae Myung salutes the Korean nationwide flag throughout a welcome ceremony held on the Egyptian presidential palace in Cairo, Thursday (native time). On the proper is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Yonhap
Lee mentioned the 2 sides additionally mentioned methods to broaden “mutually helpful” protection cooperation past the joint manufacturing of K9 howitzers into such areas as plane and floor weapons techniques.
In 2022, Egypt signed a US$1.7 billion contract with Korean protection agency Hanwha Aerospace to obtain K9 self-propelled howitzers and different tools, with the supply scheduled for subsequent yr.
“I expressed hope that our bilateral protection cooperation will additional broaden to incorporate techniques such because the FA-50 superior trainers and the Cheongeom anti-tank missiles,” he mentioned.
President El-Sisi, he added, expressed confidence in Korea’s protection applied sciences and curiosity in joint manufacturing of weapons techniques.
Through the summit, Korea and Egypt singed a joint declaration to advertise negotiations for the bilateral Complete Financial Partnership Settlement (CEPA) to determine an institutional framework for increasing financial ties.
“The CEPA will function an essential institutional basis supporting broad financial cooperation,” Lee mentioned. “We hope negotiations for the CEPA between our two international locations can start as quickly as doable.
The 2 nations additionally signed memorandums of understanding on training and cultural exchanges to facilitate people-to-people ties, amid the rising recognition of Korean content material in Egypt.
“Egypt is a number one nation in cultural content material within the Center East, and has a robust curiosity in Korean content material, together with drama, Ok-pop, meals and Korean language,” Lee mentioned.
After the summit, Lee plans to ship a speech at Cairo College to stipulate his imaginative and prescient for deeper engagement with the Center East.
Later within the day, Lee is scheduled to satisfy with Korean residents in Egypt.
