Assembly speaker departs for Middle East to strengthen ties

SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's National Assembly speaker departed on a
13-day tour of the Middle East on Friday to strengthen diplomatic and economic
ties with the region, the parliament's secretariat said.

Speaker Kim Hyung-o left for Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein
and members of the Jordanian parliament on various bilateral issues, including
participation by South Korean firms in Jordan's ongoing infrastructure
development efforts.
Kim will later travel to the United Arab Emirates to meet with President Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and request a stable supply of oil reserves and
discuss Seoul's hope to sell fighter jets to the UAE. The country is South
Korea's second-largest crude supplier after Saudi Arabia.
The speaker will finish his tour in Turkey to meet with President Abdullah Gul
and exchange views on an envisioned free trade agreement. South Korea's trade
ministry said early this month it will begin trade negotiations with Turkey later
this year.
Kim's visits to Jordan and the UAE will be the first by a South Korean assembly
speaker, reflecting the increasing significance of diplomatic and economic ties
with the Middle East, his office said.
The trip to Turkey will be the first in 20 years by a Korean assembly speaker.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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