Lee, Turkmen president agree to bolster cooperation in phone talks
President Lee Jae Myung talks on the phone with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow at the presidential office in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of presidential office
President Lee Jae Myung and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow agreed to further strengthen the two countries' cooperation as they held phone talks Friday, the presidential office said.
In what marked his first phone call with the Turkmen president, Lee noted how bilateral ties have advanced since forging a partnership in 2008 and called for further strengthening their relations, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.
Lee also thanked Berdimuhamedow for helping South Korean nationals evacuate from Iran via Turkmenistan in June, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
In response, the Turkmen president called for joint efforts to advance ties between South Korea and Turkmenistan as well as with the Central Asian region following the launch of the new Seoul government, according to Kang.
Both sides agreed to expand their cooperation in the energy and plant industry sectors to a wider range of areas, and closely cooperate on the South Korea-Central Asia summit scheduled for next year.