UAE president delays state visit to Korea amid Middle East conflict

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UAE president delays state visit to Korea amid Middle East conflict

Published: 12 Oct. 2023, 14:51 Updated: 12 Oct. 2023, 16:01

SARAH KIM
kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, left, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee, center, view an honor guard during an official welcome ceremony during their bilateral summit on Jan. 15 in Abu Dhabi. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), postponed a state visit to Korea this month due to "unforeseen regional circumstances," the presidential office said Thursday.

He had been expected to hold a bilateral summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul later in October.

"Due to unexpected local circumstances, we decided to postpone the visit to Korea through a mutual agreement," a presidential official said. This follows tensions in the Middle East after the Hamas militant group's surprise attack on Israel last Saturday, leading to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration of war.

This would have marked the first state visit to Seoul by a UAE president, coming upon the invitation of Yoon.

In January this year, Yoon made a state visit to the UAE and discussed with President Mohammed ways to further expand the bilateral special strategic partnership to a higher level during summit talks in Abu Dhabi.

This included expanding cooperation not only in key areas such as nuclear power, energy, investment and the defense industry but also in more fields, including new industries, healthcare and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

This marked the first state visit to the UAE by a Korean president since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1980. The two countries elevated bilateral relations to a special strategic partnership in 2018.

During the summit, the UAE announced a commitment by its sovereign wealth funds to invest $30 billion in Korea's strategic sectors including nuclear power, arms and energy.

The two countries' governments and companies signed some 40 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) in fields such as nuclear energy, energy, investment, defense industry and climate change during this summit.

The two leaders also attended a ceremony to mark the completion of the construction of the third reactor at the Barakah nuclear power plant in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi and check on the progress of Unit 4.

The nuclear power plant built by Korean companies in Abu Dhabi's far western desert is a key symbol of economic cooperation between the two countries. Barakah is also the first nuclear plant that Korea built abroad.

Choi Sang-mok, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, told reporters Thursday that despite the postponement of the visit, the UAE's ongoing commitment to its $30 billion investment “will proceed without a hitch."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]