By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

President Lee Jae Myung, wrapping up his state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Nov. 19 pledged to raise his country's future partnership with the UAE based on bilateral cooperation in energy, the defense industry and artificial intelligence (AI).

He announced this at the Korea-UAE Business Roundtable in Abu Dhabi, where he discussed boosting economic cooperation with business executives from both countries.

First, President Lee mentioned the energy sector, saying, "Cooperation in energy transition to combine the UAE's solar power capacity with Korea's advanced battery know-how will greatly contribute to both sides achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and advancing new green industries."

On the defense industry, he said, "We must improve our cooperation level through joint development and localized production, as well as expand together to third countries," adding, "I hope that this leads to bilateral cooperation expanding to the global level."

"This visit will be an opportunity to accelerate cooperation in advanced industries like the setup of AI data centers," he said. "Korea will be the most reliable partner for the UAE's goal of taking a leap forward to becoming an AI hub by 2031."

Completing his three-day UAE trip, President Lee on the afternoon of Nov. 19 arrived in Cairo, Egypt. His schedule for the next day included attending an official welcoming ceremony and bilateral summit and giving a speech at Cairo University.

dusrud21@korea.kr