SEOUL, Aug 8 — South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Tae-yul has held a meeting with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, during which he expressed Seoul’s intention to participate in the development of nuclear energy in the Philippines, the South Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
“Minister Cho emphasised the importance of nuclear power plants, which are an indispensable source of energy for a rational energy mix, and said South Korea would like to become the Philippines’ optimal partner in the construction of nuclear power plants in the future,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
South Korean companies would also like to continue participating in projects to build up the Philippines’ defence capability, the statement read, adding that South Korea and the Philippines “are located at strategically important geopolitical points in the Indo-Pacific region”, so they need to strengthen “strategic communication for peace and prosperity in the region”.
In this regard, the parties agreed to hold another meeting of the bilateral maritime dialogue in November, and to work together to raise the overall level of relations by the end of the year, expanding the areas of cooperation to include the defence industry, infrastructure, agriculture and energy, the ministry said.
— Bernama
