President Lee Jae-myung met on the 31st with Khalid bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and said he hopes relations between Korea and the UAE will advance further.
That morning, Lee met the Abu Dhabi UAE crown prince on the third floor bilateral meeting venue of the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center (HICO) in Gyeongju. The UAE is not a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) but came to Gyeongju as a special invitee along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In the meeting, Lee said, "You may or may not know, but Gyeongju is the very place that exchanged with Islam about a thousand years ago," adding, "The UAE is the only country in the Middle East that has a special strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea."
He added, "The UAE is a very strong traditional ally of the Republic of Korea," and said, "I hope the crown prince's visit to Korea will serve as an opportunity for relations between Korea and the United Arab Emirates to advance further."
Crown Prince Khalid of Abu Dhabi in the UAE said, "The relationship between Korea and the UAE is extremely special and important to us," adding, "Strengthening bonds and cooperation among Asian countries is also extremely important to us."
He added, "We look forward to seeing you in the UAE in Nov., and since it will be your first visit since taking office, we will host you with special care in the UAE."