At the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), conducted a state visit to the UAE from 14th to 17th January 2023.
On 15th January, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President Yoon held a summit meeting at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi. During the summit, the two leaders agreed to deepen and further develop the Special Strategic Partnership between the two countries, UAE national news agency WAM reported.
In particular, the two leaders agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation in four key areas: conventional energy and clean energy, peaceful nuclear energy, economy and investment, and defence and defence technology; as well as in other areas of mutual interest, including space, emerging industries and culture. The two leaders also engaged in an in-depth exchange of views on regional and international issues.
Both leaders attended the exchanging and announcing of several agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to develop cooperation in various fields in light of the distinguished strategic ties binding the two countries.
The two leaders valued the defence cooperation that has been developed in a mutually beneficial manner based on the highest level of trust between the two countries. With the aim of further promoting close cooperation, both leaders recognised the importance of advancing the relationship in defence technology to a strategic level that includes joint investment, research and technology development; and welcoming the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for joint collaboration in this field.
In this regard, the two leaders affirmed that the aerospace industry cooperation discussed during the summit has generated impetus for expanding defence technology cooperation in the medium and long term and agreed to further strengthen collaboration for the joint development of a wide range of defence technologies.
On this occasion, a MoU between Tawazun Council and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on the joint development program for the next generation of multi-mission cargo aircraft, was exchanged by Tareq Al Hosani, Secretary-General of Tawazun Council, and Kang Gu-young, representative of the Korea Aerospace Industries.
