President Lee Jae-myung met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the 14th and said the two countries can "widen the horizon of mutually beneficial cooperation, from responding to the climate crisis to critical mineral supply chains, artificial intelligence and the defense industry, and drive future growth engines together." Mirziyoyev responded that he hoped the visit would "serve as an occasion to inject new vitality into the special strategic partnership between the two countries."
Mirziyoyev arrived in South Korea through Seoul Airport on the 13th to attend the first Korea-Central Asia Summit, to be held in Seoul on the 16th. He began his state visit schedule the following day, the 14th, with an official welcoming ceremony at the main garden of the Blue House. Lee and first lady Kim Hye-kyung greeted Mirziyoyev and his wife in person upon their arrival. After the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders posed for photographs, signed the guest book and moved directly into expanded talks.
Lee Calls for Broader Cooperation in AI, Defense; Uzbekistan Cites Successful Partnership
At the expanded talks, Lee said he hoped the two countries would "develop the special strategic partnership more substantively on the basis of the friendship and trust built between them, and leap forward together toward shared prosperity and peace." He noted that "Uzbekistan is a very special country where some 200,000 ethnic Korean compatriots have built their lives," adding that "we always keep in our hearts our gratitude to the people of Uzbekistan, who warmly embraced our compatriots in difficult times."
He also said that "since establishing diplomatic ties in 1992, Korea and Uzbekistan have built a very solid cooperative relationship across various fields including politics, the economy, society and culture," and that "at a time when uncertainty in the international situation is growing, I believe the role of the two countries, which share friendship and trust, has become even more important."
Lee said he would "broaden the scope of people-to-people and cultural exchanges so that this precious historical bond can be carried forward and grown into greater results," and proposed expanding "the horizon of mutually beneficial cooperation, from transport, infrastructure, health care and responses to the climate crisis to critical mineral supply chains, AI and digital technology, and the defense industry."
Mirziyoyev said that "Korea's experience and technology are being widely shared across industries including e-government, education, IT, agriculture and health care," and that "the partnership between the two countries is developing successfully." He described Lee as "a leader with experience and a pragmatic outlook." He added that "Uzbekistan will continue to unwaveringly support the Korean government's efforts to solidify peace and security on the Korean Peninsula."
13 Cooperation Documents Signed, Covering High-Speed Rail, Critical Minerals and Defense
The Korean and Uzbek governments signed 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding on the day, on the occasion of the summit.
The two sides first signed an MOU between the Export-Import Bank of Korea and Uzbekistan's Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade to build a framework for identifying strategic projects. Under the MOU, the two sides will seek to identify promising, mutually beneficial projects in six national strategic industries designated by the Uzbek government — critical minerals, data centers, smart cities, industrial complexes dedicated to Korean companies, pharmaceuticals and bio, and food, beauty and content — and to explore ways to provide project and commercial financing.
MOUs were also signed on the introduction of eight high-speed train sets and on the establishment of Uzbekistan's national genome and biobank facility, the Biome Center. The Blue House expects the agreements to expand cooperation on transport and health infrastructure between the two countries and, depending on the results of future feasibility studies, to broaden the scope of project cooperation and help Korean companies enter the market.
An MOU on cooperation in border-stage intellectual property protection was also adopted, covering stronger cooperation to block counterfeit goods bearing major brands and to crack down on items that infringe intellectual property rights. Other documents signed on the day included an MOU on tourism cooperation to boost people-to-people exchanges, an MOU on agricultural cooperation covering the transfer of Korean agricultural technology, an MOU on cooperation in AI transformation in manufacturing, and an MOU on regulatory cooperation for medical products. A contract to expand defense industry cooperation between the two countries, a treaty on the transfer of sentenced persons and a protocol amending the framework agreement on grant aid were also signed.
Relay Summit Diplomacy With Five Central Asian Nations
Starting with the summit with Mirziyoyev, Lee will hold back-to-back talks with the leaders of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on the 15th and 16th.
On the afternoon of the 16th, he will chair the first Korea-Central Asia Summit in Seoul, attended by the leaders of each country, under the theme of "Directions for Korea-Central Asia Cooperation and a Partnership for Strengthening Innovation, Prosperity and Connectivity."
Kang Yu-jung, senior presidential spokesperson at the Blue House, said Lee "plans to elevate strategic cooperation with Central Asia, a strategically important region, to the summit level and to lay a mutually beneficial foundation for growth that combines Central Asia's growth needs with Korea's strategy to expand supply chains and markets." She added that the government "intends to move beyond one-off summit diplomacy and build the basis for a sustainable regional partnership, turning it into tangible results for the implementation of the New Northern Policy and for diversifying diplomacy."
