Assembly speaker visits Turkey, Azerbaijan to cement ties

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug began his nine-day visit to Turkey and Azerbaijan on Friday, hoping to strengthen cooperation on the economy and defense, officials said Sunday.

He will spend six days in Turkey and three days in Azerbaijan, according to the speaker’s office.

During his visit to Turkey, South Korea’s strategic partner, Park will seek support for the participation of Korean businesses in large-scale infrastructure and defense projects in the nation.

On Tuesday he will meet with his Turkish counterpart, Grand National Assembly Speaker Mustafa Sentop. He will convey his appreciation to Turkey for its contributions during the Korean War and discuss ways to advance practical bilateral cooperation on infrastructure projects, such as the Canakkale Bridge, as well as in the defense industry and other industries.

The speaker is also expected to call on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He plans to exchange views with the president on cooperation on various pending issues for responsible middle power countries in the international community.

His ensuing visit to Azerbaijan, a key region for Korea’s New Northern Policy, will concentrate on strengthening bilateral exchange and cooperation. Korea will celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan in 2022.

Park will discuss ways for Korean businesses to contribute to the development of Azerbaijan’s non-oil industries and the modernization of its infrastructure.

Park is also expected to meet with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. They will consult on ways that Korean businesses can take part in Azerbaijan’s development of its non-oil industry. He is also planning to ask Azerbaijan, the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, to play a constructive role in the Korean peace process. The Non-Aligned Movement consists of 120 developing world states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.



By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)