Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Park Kyung-mee on Jan. 10 announces the schedule of President Moon Jae-in's Jan. 15-22 tour of three Arab nations at a briefing held at Chunchugwan Press Center of Cheong Wa Dae. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Eun-young and Lee Jihae

President Moon Jae-in from Jan. 15-22 will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Egypt over six days and eight nights.

Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Park Kyung-mee on Jan. 10 announced in a briefing the president's schedule for his tour of the three Arab nations.

She called the three countries Korea's leading Middle Eastern and Arab allies that play a pivotal role in the stability of global energy supply chains and regional peace and stability, adding that all three have the common goal of mutual growth with Korea as a leading partner in the development of future industries.

President Moon from Jan. 16-17 will visit the UAE at the invitation of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also ruler of Dubai.

President Moon on Jan. 16 will attend a business roundtable in Dubai comprising businesspeople from the UAE and Korea. He will also attend that day the Expo 2020 Dubai's official "Korea Day" event and subsequently hold a summit with Prime Minister Al Maktoum. 

The president will show Korea's contributions to ensure a successful hosting of the Dubai Expo and his intent to help the Korean city of Busan secure the hosting rights for the World Expo 2030.

On Jan. 17, he will discuss with UAE Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan practical cooperation on the development of bilateral relations.

From Jan. 18-19, the president will visit Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia is Korea's biggest trading partner in the Middle East and top cumulative customer for overseas construction projects. With this year marking the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties, President Moon will hold a summit with the crown prince and attend a business forum attended by executives from the two countries.

President Moon from Jan. 20-21 will visit Egypt at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. As the home of the Suez Canal, Egypt is the international logistics hub and the base country for Korean corporate advance into Africa. Korea and Egypt also have a comprehensive cooperative strategic partnership.

Presidents Moon and President Sisi will discuss bilateral cooperation in sustainable growth and methods of future-oriented cooperation. Both will later attend the business roundtable and discuss collaboration in eco-friendly future industries.

Spokesperson Park said, "We expect to strengthen trust with the leaders of the three major Middle Eastern nations that are diversifying de-oiling and industries, and expand our cooperation basis with these countries."

"This will serve as an opportunity to strengthen our cooperation base in promising future sectors like health and medicine, artificial intelligence, science and technology, solar and water resources, hydrogen cooperation and climate and environment as well as energy, construction and infrastructure."

She added, "We will also discuss cooperation for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the Middle Eastern region."

eykim86@korea.kr