President Lee Jae Myung (right) on Sept. 14 poses for photos with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Cheong Wa Dae)

By Kang Gahui

President Lee Jae Myung and visiting Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Sept. 14 agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in sectors like critical minerals, the defense industry, transportation and infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation at their summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul.

The two leaders commended the results of their cooperation in transportation and logistics infrastructure including high-speed rail, pledging to jointly expand Korean corporate participation in Uzbekistan's future infrastructure projects. They agreed to widen their scope of collaboration based on previous successes such as the development and operation of a new international airport in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent and another in the Central Asian country's western city of Urgench.

In the defense industry, both sides decided to create new joint outcomes and broaden the scope of their partnership based on their high mutual trust.

In core minerals, Seoul and Tashkent will raise supply chain cooperation across the entire lifecycle ranging from exploration to development and processing based on a joint rare metals center.

In AI and digital, they agreed to boost ties in the AI transformation and innovation of manufacturing based on their signing of a related memorandum of understanding (MOU).

The two leaders also agreed on the need to form an institutional environment conducive to boosting bilateral trade and investment. After their talks, they decided to launch a Korea desk within the Uzbek government to support Korean companies as well as a joint business council, the first economic platform between the private sectors of the two countries.

After their summit, both presidents exchanged 13 agreements and MOUs to carry out their deals.

kgh89@korea.kr