President Lee Jae Myung Holds Summit with Turkmenistan, Discussing Cooperation on Plant Projects, Railways and Infrastructure

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung held a summit meeting with Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedow at Cheong Wa Dae on the 15th.
At the summit, President Lee said, "I would like to once again express my deep gratitude to the president and the government of Turkmenistan for their special consideration in ensuring that our nationals and their families who were staying in Iran could safely evacuate through Turkmenistan amid the rapidly changing situation in the Middle East last year and this year."
He continued, "I believe the warm hand you extended in a difficult moment clearly demonstrated the deep trust and friendship between our two countries." He added, "At the restricted-format meeting held just before this session, we agreed to communicate and cooperate closely going forward and to further develop bilateral relations in a more mutually beneficial and solid manner."
President Lee said, "Since establishing a mutually beneficial partnership in 2008, our two countries have built a solid foundation for substantive cooperation over many years." He added, "I hope we can build on that cooperation and work together to create results that contribute to the growth of both countries and are felt in the daily lives of our people."
He also pledged, "The Republic of Korea will work with Turkmenistan so that its abundant resources lead to high-value-added industries and jobs, and so that its land connecting the Caspian Sea and Central Asia becomes a new hub for logistics and trade." He added, "Our government will provide strong support so that our two countries can maximize each other's strengths and open up new opportunities together along that path."
President Berdimuhamedow responded, "This visit is my first state visit to the Republic of Korea, and I believe it will be a highly meaningful opportunity to further advance cooperation between our two countries." He said, "Turkmenistan is pursuing focused cooperation with the Republic of Korea in various fields. In particular, we consider diplomacy an important area." He added, "We highly value the Republic of Korea's continued support for the various initiatives we have presented on the international stage. Turkmenistan likewise highly values and supports the Republic of Korea's positions on major international issues."
Referring to President Lee's initiative on North Korea, the END Initiative (Exchange, Normalization and Denuclearization), he said, "I would like to reiterate our support for it here." He emphasized, "We have consistently maintained the position that all issues on the Korean Peninsula must be resolved through peaceful dialogue and diplomatic means, and we will continue to do so."
Kang Yoo-jung, the Chief Presidential Spokesperson, said, "The two leaders agreed to expand the achievements of cooperation built around the energy and plant-project sectors since the establishment of their mutually beneficial partnership in 2008, and to broaden bilateral cooperation into various fields, including infrastructure such as railways, shipbuilding, new-city development, water resources, forestry, and artificial intelligence (AI) and science and technology."
The Republic of Korea and Turkmenistan signed 13 intergovernmental agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on the occasion of the summit. The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in various areas, including investment promotion and protection, the chemical industry and plant projects, infrastructure such as construction, transportation and logistics, water resources, railways, and the fight against transnational crime. In particular, the investment protection agreement, which will provide an institutional foundation for protecting and promoting investment between the two countries, was concluded 16 years after negotiations to pursue the agreement began.
Regarding cooperation in shipbuilding, Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said, "The two leaders assessed the mutually beneficial cooperation model under which Korean technicians and Turkmen personnel jointly build ships in Turkmenistan, and agreed to expand such cooperation further." She added, "President Lee asked President Berdimuhamedow to give attention and provide assistance so that Korean companies with outstanding technological capabilities and experience can participate in Turkmenistan's future railway modernization projects."
The two leaders also welcomed the establishment, for the first time, of an official cooperation channel between the public security authorities of the two countries on the occasion of the summit and agreed to strengthen cooperation in public security and legal affairs, including responses to transnational crime.
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter