South Korean Foreign Minister Han Seung-Soo starts on August 10 a tour that will take him to Iran and Egypt, with the aim of promoting bilateral ties in various fields, said reports.
South Korean Ambassador to Tehran, Lee Sang-Chul, said on Tuesday that during the minister’s three-day visit, he would hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, Parliament Speaker Hojatoleslam Mehdi Karroubi and Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
He is also scheduled to meet with President Mohammad
Khatami, the ambassador was quoted as saying by the official Iranian news agency, IRNA.
Han Seung-Soo, who is also Korea's foreign trade minister, will visit the ancient city of Isfahan on August 12 and will tour the historical sites of the city.
His last meeting will be with Iranian Minister of Mines and Industries Eshaq Jahangiri, who is the co-chairman of the Iran-Korea Economic Cooperation Committee, he added.
He said the visit, the first by a Korean foreign minister in 25 years, was very significant because of its political implications.
He added that the large number of Korean businessmen accompanying the minister also signified the importance the Koreans attached to their economic cooperation with the Islamic republic.
In Cairo, Seung-Soo is expected for a four-day visit starting August 13, during which he will hold talks with Egyptian officials on bilateral diplomatic and trade relations, Egypt's foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The August 13-17 visit is part of the "continual development in bilateral relations since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's official visit to Seoul in April 1999," the statement said, cited by AFP.
Han is due to hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Maher on regional and international issues of common interest, as well as means to improve bilateral relations, the statement added.
Until 1995, Mubarak had rejected any diplomatic relations with Seoul due to Cairo's links with the communist North Korean regime – Albawaba.com
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