By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
Victor Ishaev, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's plenipotentiary envoy in the country's Far East, paid a courtesy call to President Lee Myung-bak Thursday for talks on bilateral economic cooperation between Korea and Russia.
A 20-member delegation led by Ishaev arrived in Seoul, Wednesday, at the invitation of Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung-hwan for a four-day visit. He will meet with Korea's senior diplomatic and economic officials, including Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Minister Chung Jong-hwan, before returning home tomorrow.
Their talks will focus on joint projects to develop natural resources in Russia and construct a port and logistics facilities in Russia's Far East. Korea's plan to import natural gas from Russia was also on the agenda, officials said.
"President Lee and Ishaev shared the view that two-way cooperation between Korea and Russia has made progress since Lee's summit with President Medvedev in Moscow in September last year," a presidential spokesman said. "They discussed various bilateral issues, including joint energy development projects and cooperation in the areas of information technology and aerospace."
Lee wished Russia good luck in its preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympics, scheduled for February in the resort city of Sochi, he said.
Diplomatic sources said Medvedev may make a reciprocal visit to Seoul as early as this year, but the presidential office refused to confirm whether the issue was discussed at the Lee-Ishaev meeting.
Last year, the two countries signed 13 memorandums of understanding to promote strategic relations in the fields of energy, diplomacy and industrial technology.
Seoul and Moscow will start joint programs soon to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations in 2010, the officials said.