President Lee Jae Myung on July 22 holds his first phone talks with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Office of the President in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District. (President Lee's official X account)

By Xu Aiying

President Lee Jae Myung on July 22 held his first phone talks with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss boosting bilateral cooperation.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung that day in a written briefing said President Lee praised the emir's efforts to advance Qatar's prosperity and develop ties with Korea.

The two leaders pledged to advance cooperation in a range of sectors like investment, cutting-edge industries such as artificial intelligence, defense and the defense industry, and sports based on their close cooperation in energy and infrastructure.

President Lee said," I hope that Korean companies can actively contribute to the national development of Qatar," urging the emir's interest and support for this.

Also through their phone talks, both leaders welcomed the resumption of high-level bilateral exchanges and agreed to meet in person at a mutually convenient time to explore further methods to improve relations.

xuaiy@korea.kr