By Yoon Sojung
Photos = Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in and Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held summit talks at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Nov. 23.

The two leaders agreed to upgrade the existing strategic partnership between the two countries.

In the summit, President Moon emphasized the similarities between the policy mottos of the two governments, as the Uzbekistani government has the motto "to serve the people" while Seoul has the policy goal of "pursuing a government that belongs to the people."

He said, “The Republic of Korea would like to deepen its strategic partnership with Uzbekistan, and also become a close friend to you, to lead peace and prosperity on the Eurasian continent together.”



President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said, “This year is significant for us, as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Seoul-Tashkent diplomatic relationship and also the 80th anniversary of the moving of ethnic Koreans to Central Asia.”

"Both the Uzbek and Korean people have been living harmoniously together as one family,” said the Uzbekistani president.

The presidents signed a joint declaration designed to comprehensively deepen the strategic partnership between Seoul and Tashkent. They agreed to expand the range of bilateral cooperation, from the existing fields of energy and resources to include e-government, education, medicine and healthcare, and to the construction of social infrastructure.

Later in the day, the two governments signed a total of eight memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to bolster bilateral cooperation. The MOUs included the “2018-2020 Economic Development Cooperation Fund Program” in which Seoul agreed to provide USD 500 million to Tashkent as special loans. The Export-Import Bank of Korea also agreed to offer USD 2 billion in financial support for major projects in Uzbekistan.




arete@korea.kr