Iraqi President Makes 1st State Visit to Korea
By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani arrived in Seoul today at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak with whom he will hold a summit Tuesday. President's Talabani's visit comes at a time when both countries are looking to become more involved with each other, especially in business and cultural exchanges.
Since Korea and Iraq established official diplomatic ties in 1989, high-level visits have been sporadic, with a presidential summit yet to take place. The last time a top ranking Iraqi official visited Seoul was April 13, 2007, when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki held talks with then-president Roh Moo-Hyun.
Iraq is an ally and an increasingly treasured business partner for Korea. For Iraqis, Korea is well remembered for its non-combat mission that ended just last December.
During the previous administration in 2004, the Korean government sent 3,600 engineering and medical troops to aid civilian reconstruction efforts after a U.S.-led Coalition toppled Saddam Hussein's government in 2003. Korean troops treated over 70,000 patients, while construction forces rebuilt critical facilities such as orphanages, nursing homes and kindergartens.
The Iraqi President has called Korea a ``sincere partner'' in the past in appreciation of its service in the Kurdish city of Irbil. The remaining 519 soldiers there returned to Korea in December.
Today, the two governments are more eager than ever to facilitate people exchanges, cultural dialogue and most importantly, expand business ties that have been somewhat stalled after the Gulf War. Due to general social unrest, many Korean construction firms that had work there chose to leave, except for a few companies such as Hyundai.
However, the two-way trade has seen a consistent increase in the last few years, as Iraqis are increasingly more forthcoming about buying Korean cars, electronic products ― cell phones in particular ― cigarettes and other goods. In turn, Koreans are looking to bring in more oil from Iraq, home to one of the world's largest oil reserves. Government figures indicate that Iraq has the world's fourth largest reserves of oil, at approximately 115 billion barrels.
Due to decades of war and social unrest in Iraq, it has not been easy for Koreans to gain access to the immense cultural and historical tradition the country has to offer. Iraq's historical status as home to the world's first known civilizations that produced some of the first literature, science and philosophies of mankind is often overshadowed by the images of war and violence that have prevailed for years.
With the first-ever state visit of an Iraqi President, it is expected that the two countries will be looking for constructive ways to further enhance cooperation on various levels, with particular focus on boosting business partnerships. It is in this context that the Iraqi President will lead his delegation to meet with Korean finance ministry officials and business leaders.
A staunch advocate of Kurdish rights and democracy in Iraq for more than 50 years, the 78-year-old is the founder and secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the main Iraqi Kurdish political parties. After serving in the Interim Iraq Governing Council in post-Hussein Iraq, he assumed office as his country's president in April 2005.