Korea, Djibouti agree to enhance economic ties
By Yoo Cheong-mo
SEOUL, (Yonhap) — President Lee Myung-bak and visiting Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh held summit talks in Seoul Monday and agreed to boost bilateral economic and diplomatic cooperation, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.
Guelleh, the first Djibouti president to visit South Korea, arrived in Seoul Sunday to meet with Lee and attend an international conference to commemorate the inauguration of the Korea-Arab Society.
“At the summit talks, Lee highly evaluated the importance of Djibouti as a gateway to East Africa and asked for Guelleh’s support for Korean companies wanting to participate in the country’s various infrastructure projects,” said Cheong Wa Dae.
“In response, Guelleh explained his country’s bid to grow into East Africa’s tourism, financial and maritime hub and expressed hope for closer bilateral economic cooperation.”
Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south and Somalia in the southeast. The country was liberated from French rule in 1977 and has a population of 730,000.
South Korea and Djibouti established diplomatic ties in December 1977.
ycm@yna.co.kr
Source: YONHAP
