President Lee Jae-myung on the 7th (local time) began the first official schedule of a four-night, five-day overseas trip with a meeting with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
At about 2:47 p.m. that day, President Lee held talks with Secretary-General Rutte in Ankara, Türkiye. This is the first time since taking office that President Lee is attending a NATO summit. The meeting was arranged at the invitation of Secretary-General Rutte.
Secretary-General Rutte welcomed Lee, saying, "Thank you for your efforts to ensure that relations between Korea and NATO can continue to develop strongly." President Lee responded, "I spoke with you a couple of times by phone, and it is truly a pleasure to see you in person."
President Lee and Secretary-General Rutte discussed Korea-NATO cooperation twice by phone in July last year and on Feb. [date omitted]. In this meeting, they are expected to discuss specific cooperation measures, including in the defense industry.
After the talks, President Lee will attend, together with Secretary-General Rutte, a small-group meeting with leaders of the Indo-Pacific partner countries (IP4), including Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. This meeting is the highest-level consultative body for cooperation between NATO and Indo-Pacific partners.