S. Korea, Sweden seek closer ties

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Friday asked Sweden to play a greater
role in promoting Seoul's relations with the European Union (EU) as Sweden
assumes the rotating EU presidency in the first half of this year, the South
Korean foreign ministry said.
In their talks here, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and his Swedish counterpart
Carl Bildt agreed to step up closer cooperation on the global financial crisis,
climate change, and energy issues, the ministry added.
Bildt arrived here on Thursday for a four-day stay. The two countries mark the
50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
"The ministers expressed satisfaction over the development of the bilateral ties
since 1959 not only in the economic and trade sectors but also in other fields,
including education, culture, and science," the ministry said in a press release.
"The ministers agreed to deepen the relations."
lcd@yna.co.kr
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