President of the Republic of Korea Lee Myung-Bak has arrived in Uzbekistan August 23 with state visit on the invitation of President Islam Karimov.

Notwithstanding the great distance between Uzbekistan and the Land of Morning Freshness, the two peoples have been tied with long-standing friendship bonds. Both peoples are distinct with qualities like patriotism, kindness, magnanimity, respect for the elderly, care for the younger, diligence, keenness to honor the ancestors’ heritage and values.

Official ceremony of meeting South Korea’s President took place at Uzbek President’s Kuksaroy country complex. Guard of honor lined up in mark of respect for the high-ranking guest. The two leaders rose to the podium, followed by the sounds of state hymns of the two nations. Presidents reviewed the guard of honor.

Islam Karimov and Lee Myng-Bak started negotiations in a contracted format during which the two sides exchanged views on matters pertaining to the agenda of bilateral relations along with pressing issues of regional and international politics.

“It is deeply symbolic that Your present visit takes place on the eve of both the 20th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our nations,” Islam Karimov declared. “We consider the Republic of Korea a reliable partner of Uzbekistan. Your visit is pretty suggestive of our nations’ interest in advancing the mutually beneficial cooperation.”

It has been noted in the course of the talks that the current summit is considered an important stride towards intensifying the multi-faceted interaction, a good opportunity to critically reassess its current state, to define priorities for the future and fill up the dynamically shaping strategic partnership with solid essence by joint efforts. 

“I regard Uzbekistan as the closest, an earnestly friendly country, and I have very much enjoyed my every trip to this land,” Lee Myung-Bak said. “The regular nature of meetings at the highest level will facilitate further development of cooperation.” 

Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea closely cooperate within the United Nations and other international organizations as much as financial institutions. The two parties noted the traditionally harmonious and similar positions, views and judgments on practically all pressing issues of global and regional character. This has helped support one another’s proposals and initiatives in the international arena.

In particular, given the ‘green growth’ policy of the Korean leadership and promotion of environmentally clean technologies, Uzbekistan backs the idea of holding the 18th UN climate change conference in Seoul in 2012.

International Olympic Committee’s decision to hold Winter Olympics 2018 in Pyeongchang has been welcomed by Uzbekistan.

Central Asia has become a nuclear-weapon free zone on the initiative of Uzbekistan’s President. Uzbekistan is highly instrumental in maintaining and consolidating peace and stability in the region. The Korean side said it highly appreciates all of this.

Bilateral talks in the Kuksaroy also included discussion of situation in Afghanistan where, as Islam Karimov and Lee Myung-Bak agreed, it is impossible to address the crisis exclusively with military means.

Then the two presidents carried on negotiations in extended format.

The head of Uzbekistan stressed that the present visit by South Korea’s President is regarded by the Uzbek side as a remarkable event in the history of bilateral relations, a logical and consistent extension of the dynamic strategic partnership and cooperation between the two governments and peoples.

Republic of Korea is seen in Uzbekistan as a vigorously advancing modern nation looking to the future, as the one considered a leading country in all indicators of economic and human dimension, and wielding competitive industrial-economic, scientific-intellectual and high-tech potential.

It has been underscored during the talks that the Uzbek-Korean relations have truly grown mature, profoundly thought-out and equally advantageous. They have met vital interests of the two peoples in terms of cooperation between economic and commercial entities of the two nations, along with in the humanitarian sphere.

Uzbekistan and South Korea have accumulated an imposing experience of successful economic and investment interaction. Republic of Korea is one of Uzbekistan’s major trade partners. The total volume of declared South Korean investments into the Uzbek economy exceeds five billion US dollars, while that of already materialized investments has topped two billion US dollars.

For instance, Korean companies of Neoplant and Shingdong Enercom who have been exploring quartz-containing raw material deposits are to launch technical silicon producing projects in the nearest future. Daewoo International, Haintex and Shingdong Enercom have been energetic in their textile industry projects. Refrigerator manufacturing is established in Samarkand in cooperation with LG Electronics.

Attraction of cutting-edge technologies from Korea for creating new and modernizing the existing production capacities in Uzbekistan remains one of core aspects of bilateral interaction.

President of Uzbekistan noted in particular that within President Lee Myung-Bak’s visit, a symbolic stone is to be laid and started the most important scheme of the bilateral investment cooperation, namely, the construction of Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex, the construction of which is planned to attract more than 2.6 billion US dollars of direct investments.

Uzbekistan is interested in further draw of investments and latest technologies of Korean companies into such industries as hydrocarbon, chemical, mining, mechanical engineering, electro technical, pharmaceutical, textiles, construction materials, as well as introduction of energy efficient technologies.

Support by South Korea’s government and business circles for the Free Industrial and Economic Zone and transcontinental logistics center in Navoi is highly appreciated in Uzbekistan. Obviously, that the first production in FIEZ Navoi was launched just in cooperation with Korean partners carries a profound symbolic sense.

The activities of Korean Air that manages transcontinental inter-modal hub at Navoi airport deserve high accolade. In addition to the existing twenty-four flight destinations a week to major cities like Seoul, Milan, Brussels, Frankfurt-am-Mein, Bangkok, Mumbai, Istanbul, Dubai, cargo transportation is intended to be launched to Hanoi, Riga, Shanghai and other destinations.

During the negotiations at the Kuksaroy, the two sides noted with a particular satisfaction the bright palette of Uzbek-Korean cooperation in cultural and humanitarian sphere and expressed willingness to keep with creating all the encouraging environment for building up the interaction in such areas as education, including within Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), healthcare, tourism, sports, along with student and academic exchange programs.

Doubtless, Seoul Park being set up in the city of Tashkent on South Korean leader’s initiative is to become a distinctive symbol of friendship and cooperation bonds stepping up from year to year. To be precious for the Uzbek and Korean peoples alike, and with its originality and magnificence, located in the most picturesque part of the Uzbek capital city, the park is going to remind the ancient culture of Korea.

Culture and art figures of both countries have been active in international cultural events taking place in Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea. Musicians from the latter are expected to partake, in particular, in the upcoming Sharq Taronalari international music festival in Samarkand. 

Following the talks, Joint Declaration of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea has been inked. The document has reflected the current state and prospects of interaction between the two nations.

A range of other agreements has also been signed, including ones on industrial and energy cooperation, engineering services, equipment supply and construction sector. More than twenty documents in general are anticipated to be penned during the summit to enrich the many spheres of Uzbek-Korean strategic partnership and further consolidation of normative foundations of cooperation.

While meeting the mass media, Islam Karimov and Lee Myung-Bak stressed that the negotiations have proved constructive, based on mutual confidence and respect, and that the reached deals will serve to further enhance Uzbek-Korean relations, to raise the wellbeing of the two peoples.

Islam Karimov put it thus that the Republic of Korea has for all the period of Uzbekistan’s independent development been an all-round reliable strategic partner for us tested with time who has provided consistent support in the implementation of wide-scale national programs directed at profound reforming and comprehensive modernization of economy and social sphere.

Lee Myung-Bak noted in particular that Uzbekistan’s achievement of steady economic growth amid global financial and economic crisis, in light of the ongoing economic downturn in many countries, deserves admiration. The head of the Korean state underscored the sound advancement of interaction between the two nations on many fronts, the agreement reached during talks on elevating the cooperation to a qualitatively new level, on undertaking joint action for a successful conclusion of shared schemes.

State visit of President of the Republic of Korea Lee Myung-Bak to the Republic of Uzbekistan continues.