Keen to boost UAE-South Korea strategic ties: Khalifa

The President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the visiting South Korean President, Lee  Myung-bak, held on Sunday a session of talks at Al Mushrif Palace in the presence of General Sheikh Mohammed  bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

As he welcomed the South Korean head of state, Sheikh Khalifa hoped his visit to the UAE would contribute to  further boosting relation of cooperation between the two friendly countries and delivering more progress in  various avenues of joint economic and investment cooperation with special emphasis on energy technology.

The two leaders took a stock of achievements and advanced progress the UAE-South Korea cooperation has made  in transfer of economic knowledge in areas of technology, industry and investment ventures that will  leverage bilateral economic relations.

Sheikh Khalifa and President Myung-bak also reviewed latest political and economic developments at regional  and international arenas as well as topics of mutual concern.

The UAE and South Korea expressed their solidarity with Japan which experienced massive human and property  losses due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami and reaffirmed their support for Japan in this delicate  time.

Sheikh Khalifa underscored the UAE's sincere keenness to bolster opportunities of the strategic partnership  with South Korea and expand the scope of bilateral cooperation in a manner that enables the UAE to benefit  from South Korea's successful experiments and work for transfer of economic knowledge in areas of energy,  environment, industry and other fields.

For his part, the South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, said he was impressed with the progress the UAE is  witnessing under the stewardship of President Khalifa, noting that marked cooperation between the two  friendly countries is increasing and expanding significantly.

He affirmed the South Korean government's strong desire to be the key strategic partner to the UAE.

Sheikh Khalifa hosted a luncheon in honour of the South Korean president and his accompanying delegation.

Warm welcome

Sheikh Khalifa accorded an official welcome to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at Mushrif Palace.

The South Korean Head of State inspected the guard of honour and was given a 21 gun salute. The national anthem of the Republic of South Korea was also played during the red carpet reception.

The South Korean President then shook hands with his high profile hosts including General Sheikh Mohammed, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region, Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair, Speaker of Federal National Council (FNC), Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler`s Representative in the Eastern Region, Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed Al Nahyan , Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler's Representative,  Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Dr Sheikh Saeed bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works in addition to a number of Sheikhs, ministers and senior officials in the State.

President Khalifa also shook hand with members of the official delegation accompanying the South Korean president, which includes Kim Sung-Hwan, the Republic of Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Choi Kyung-hwa, Minister of Knowledge Economy in addition to a number of senior officials.

Sheikh Khalifa and his guest exchanged views on friendly relations of cooperation and then conferred 'Order of Zayed' on the South Korean President in recognition of the vibrant and deep UAE-South Korea bonds of friendship.

For his part, the South Korean President expressed his thanks to Sheikh Khalifa, hailing the cooperation and friendship relations between his country and UAE. He wished the UAE further progress and prosperity under the wise leadership of President Khalifa.

MoU on cooperation in health sector 
 

The UAE Minister of Health Dr Hanif Hassan Ali and South Korean Minister of Health and Welfare Chin Soo Hee signed in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation and exchange of experiences between the Ministries of Health in both countries.

Prior to the signing of the MoU, Dr Hanif Hassan welcomed the South Korean Minister and the accompanying delegation, and alluded to the developing relations and joint cooperation in various fields.

He also pointed out that the development of relations between the two sides in the health sector would contribute significantly in strengthening this important sector through exchange of experiences and mutual visits between medical, technical and administrative staff .

The two sides also discussed ways of activating the memorandum of understanding in the health sector and explored the ways for cooperation in the areas of hospital management and exchange of knowledge and expertise in the field of health insurance.

The two sides also agreed to form a joint committee for monitoring, follow-up and coordination and to determine the priorities for cooperation. The committee will comprise three members from each side and will meet at least once an year alternatively in UAE and South Korea.

The five-year agreement also provided for promoting the development of cooperation in various fields in the healthcare sector on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit and in accordance with the laws and regulations in both countries.

It also calls to promote cooperation in areas of common interest such as health policy and management, health care in hospitals, adoption of new technologies and medical equipment in the field of health care, e-health, medical and pharmaceutical research, development in manufacturing of biotechnology products and other areas of common interest.

The parties also agreed to facilitate the exchange of information in the areas of regulatory legislation related to health care and medical science as well as new technological developments in the field of modern medical equipments.

The meeting was attended by Dr  Salem Al Darmaki Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Amin Al Amiri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for medical practices and licensing and other senior officials.

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