NEW YORK — President Lee Jae-myung met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the 22nd on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and discussed how the two countries can work together to address the energy supply chain crisis stemming from the war in the Middle East. The two leaders met for the first time in about two months, since the NATO summit held in Turkey in July.
Lee held the summit with Albanese at South Korea's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, where they discussed international efforts on navigation safety in the Strait of Hormuz and ways for the two countries to coordinate. Lee entered the meeting room first and greeted Albanese, who arrived shortly afterward, with a handshake and a brief embrace.
"Australia must be facing various difficulties because of this Hormuz war, and the Republic of Korea also saw some disruption in its energy supply chain, but Australia gave us a great deal of help," Lee said. "Thanks to our cooperation, Korea's energy market is relatively stable," he added. "I am grateful for Australia's help, and we will cooperate as much as we can in resolving Australia's issues and situation."
Albanese responded that "Australia and the Republic of Korea are good friends," adding, "We share a similar worldview, and our values are similar in that we pursue multilateral institutions, security and safety." He said the two countries cooperate extensively in the economic field as well, and that Australia in particular receives considerable help from Korea in energy supply. "I hope to meet you more often on the occasions of the upcoming APEC summit and the G20 summit," he said. "I would like to invite you to come to Australia early next year, whenever it is possible for you."
