By Sohn JiAe

President Moon Jae-in will soon visit Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.

The president will embark on a state visit to Hanoi from March 22 to 24 to hold a summit with his Vietnamese counterpart, Tran Dai Quang. He will have a series of talks with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chairperson Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan of the National Assembly of Vietnam.

President Moon will then travel to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE from March 24 to 27.

He will meet with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed Al-Nahyan for a summit about how the relationship between the two countries has developed since 2009 when they established their "strategic partnership." They will also discuss ways to further develop bilateral ties.

President Moon is scheduled to hold talks with UAE Prime Minister and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai Mohammed Al Maktoum.

“Vietnam is our largest trading partner among the 10 ASEAN member states and the largest in terms of investment, human-to-human exchanges and development cooperation. President Moon’s state visit to the country will surely help us to put on track the New Southern Policy (신남방정책) that our administration is pushing forward, and also will be a crucial stepping stone for us to diversify our diplomacy in the region,” said Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom in a press briefing on March 15.

As for the visit to the UAE, a first to the Middle East, the spokesperson said, “It will solidify trust and friendship between the two leaders and will lay the foundation for increased future-oriented cooperation between our two countries.”

jiae5853@korea.kr