President Lee Jae Myung (right) and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Sept. 15 shake hands ahead of their summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul.

By Charles Audouin
Photos =Cheong Wa Dae

President Lee Jae Myung on Sept. 15 hosted bilateral talks at Cheong Wa Dae with his counterparts from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, who made state visits to the country ahead of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit in Seoul.

In his meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the afternoon, President Lee agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to a future-oriented comprehensive strategic partnership, the first leveling up of ties since the two sides formed a strategic partnership in 2009.

Based on an agreement in April for Korea to import 18 million barrels of Kazakh crude oil, they decided to define the direction for their cooperation in crude oil. They also pledged to reinforce the foundation for Korean companies to enter Kazakhstan in sectors like rare metals, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence (AI), science and technology, new cities, and renewable and clean energy.

The two countries will also heighten ties in managing historical sites and records related to Korea's independence movement to mark next year the 90th anniversary of the settlement of ethnic Koreans in Central Asia.

After the summit, both sides signed 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between government ministries.

In a written briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung called the summit "a starting point for charting a new 30-year chapter of bilateral relations with Kazakhstan, an important partner of Korea, based on the trust and friendship built over the past three decades." She added that the accords and MOUs "will provide the institutional foundation for turning the agreements reached into concrete projects."

President Lee Jae Myung (right) and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on Sept. 15 make a toast ahead of their expanded summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. 

In his earlier talks with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in the morning, President Lee thanked Turkmenistan's assistance as a transit point for the safe evacuation of Korean nationals and their families from Iran.

The two leaders agreed to expand bilateral cooperation to more areas like infrastructure spanning rail, shipbuilding, new city construction, water resources, forestry, AI, and science and technology.

Their summit was also an occasion to conclude a bilateral agreement on investor protection and promotion 16 years after negotiations began. Seoul and Ashgabat formed a mutually beneficial partnership in 2008.

President Berdimuhamedov said his country trusts Korea and attaches great importance to developing friendly and cooperative relations, adding that he considered this trip to Korea especially meaningful and hoping it will be an important turning point in the development of diplomatic ties.

Following the summit, both sides signed 13 intergovernmental agreements and MOUs.

In a written briefing, spokesperson Kang said the agreements are expected to provide an important basis for pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.

caudouin@korea.kr