S. Korea, Mali seal deal on promoting economic cooperation

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea signed an economic cooperation pact with
Mali on Monday after talks between their top diplomats here, the foreign ministry
said.

The agreement will lay the legal ground for promoting bilateral economic
exchanges, it said.
"Under the deal, the two sides will exchange visits of scientists and researchers
and conduct joint study projects," the ministry said. A committee on economic
cooperation will be set up as well, it added.
Mali Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane is on a four-day trip here from Sunday.
In talks with his counterpart Yu Myung-hwan earlier Monday, the minister
discussed ways to expand bilateral trade, investment and cooperation in the
fields of information technology, energy, and natural resources, according to the
ministry.
Yu asked for Mali's support for a bid by the (South) Korea Tourism Organization
president Oh Jee-chul to become the new secretary general of the U.N. World
Tourism Organization, it added.
South Korea forged diplomatic ties with the West African nation in 1990, three
decades after North Korea.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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