By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak will begin a seven-day trip to New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia early next month, during which he will meet with leaders of the countries to discuss ways to strengthen economic cooperation, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.
South Korea will officially announce the start of free trade deal talks with New Zealand and Australia after Lee's summit with New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key, March 3, and Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, March 5, the presidential office said.
``Lee's state visit to New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia starting, March 2, will serve as a cornerstone in boosting cooperation with the countries in the development of natural resources and energy,'' Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release. ``The countries will also exchange views on the global economic recession and find ways to strengthen cooperation on the global stage.''
Lee will arrive in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 3 for talks with Governor-General Anand Satyanand and Prime Minister (John) Key. After the summit between Lee and Key, the two countries will announce the start of bilateral talks on free trade.
Korea and New Zealand will also discuss the participation of Korean firms in setting up telecommunications infrastructure in New Zealand and the possibility of joint projects to develop natural gas and crude oil, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
President Lee will fly to Sydney the next day to participate in a business forum and meet with the leaders of Korean communities there. He will move to Canberra March 5 for talks with Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Korea and Australia will sign a deal to start talks on free trade agreement. They will also focus on strengthening ties in developing natural resources and ``green growth'' technologies.
On March 6, Lee will move to Jakarta, where he will hold talks with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on ways to increase bilateral cooperation.
The two will discuss ways to increase cooperation between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Indonesia is a member.
``Australia and Indonesia are also members of the G-20 summit, so President Lee and their heads of state will discuss ways to increase economic cooperation ahead of the G-20 summit,'' said Kim Eun-hye, a presidential spokeswoman. The G-20 meeting is slated for London in April.