Estonian foreign minister due in Seoul for talks on bilateral ties

SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- The foreign minister of Estonia, Urmas Paet, will visit
South Korea next week for talks with his counterpart here on ways to improve
bilateral ties between their countries, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

Paet, 35, will arrive in Seoul on Monday on a four-day trip, becoming the first
top diplomat and highest official of the Northern European nation to visit the
country, ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun told reporters.
"At the foreign ministerial talks to be held on Jan. 12, Minister Paet and
Minister Yu Myung-hwan will discuss issues of mutual interest between their two
countries, including ways to increase exchange between their ranking officials
and strengthen their cooperation in the economic and trade sectors," the
spokesman said.
The countries established diplomatic ties in 1991 shortly after the European
country regained its independence from the former Soviet Union.
"Estonia has long been a friendly nation of our country in the international
community," the ministry spokesman said.
Bilateral trade between South Korea and Estonia reached some US$136 million in 2008.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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