Top Saudi envoy visits Yoon, foreign minister

Diplomacy

Published: 20 Jul. 2022, 18:36

Top Saudi envoy visits Yoon, foreign minister

President Yoon Suk-yeol, right, shake hands with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at the presidential office in Seoul on Wednesday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE OF KOREA]

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed energy issues including nuclear power and green hydrogen in Seoul on Wednesday, said the presidential office.

Highlighting the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, Yoon expressed hopes for deeper cooperation on nuclear power, infrastructure, culture and people-to-people exchanges, according to his office on Wednesday.

Faisal said that Saudi Arabia is well aware of Korean construction companies' contribution to infrastructure development in Saudi Arabia, and said he hopes for further cooperation on green hydrogen, nuclear power and other sources of renewable energy, as well as digital infrastructure.

He mentioned how popular the K-pop group BTS is in Saudi Arabia and said he hopes for an expansion of cooperation in culture and tourism.

Later in the afternoon, the Saudi minister also met with Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin.

“It's indeed a great pleasure to be able to visit especially as it comes in conjunction with, as you said, the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic relations and of course, our two countries' bond goes much deeper,” said Faisal.

“We are firm friends, we are partners,” he continued. “We have a joint strategic vision and there is much we can do together and I look forward to working with you to push that agenda forward.”

Park and Faisal last met at a G20 foreign ministerial summit in Bali, Indonesia, earlier this month.

The two countries established ties in October 1962.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]