By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Moscow Sunday for a summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on closer bilateral cooperation in energy, resources and industrial technologies.
Following the Lee-Medvedev summit slated for Monday, the two countries will sign a total of 13 agreements calling for strategic partnership relationship in various fields, including investment and information technology, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials.
The summit will be the second between Lee and Medvedev, following the first on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Japan in early July.
The proposed agreements will cover joint exploration of petroleum, uranium and other natural resources, construction of a Korea-only industrial complex near Moscow and exchanges between science and technology institutions of both sides, the officials said.
During his three-day stay, Lee will also ask Russian leaders to play a bigger role in promoting peace in Northeast Asia, as well as in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue. Russia is a member of the six-party forum also involving the United States, China and Japan as well as the two Koreas.
Lee and Medvedev are also expected to additionally discuss bilateral cooperation in the aerospace field and three-way Siberian economic development projects involving North Korea, according to sources.
A Cheong Wa Dae official said Lee will hold intensive talks with Medvedev regarding South Korea's long-term and stable imports of Russian natural gas and joint development of offshore mines in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Lee will also ask for Medvedev's support for South Korean companies seeking to participate in Russia's massive infrastructure expansion projects ahead of its hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vladivostok in 2012, the report said.
Lee is likely to stress that the envisioned rail link between South Korea and Russia via North Korea for its eventual connection with Europe would provide an opportunity for the three countries to form an integrated economic bloc, the official said.
Lee's trip to Russia capped his visit to all four superpowers surrounding the Korean Peninsula, as he has already visited the U.S., Japan and China.
Following the summit with Medvedev, Lee is scheduled to meet with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and business leaders and journalists.
On his way home, Lee will stop in Saint Petersburg where he will meet with municipal leaders and receive an honorary doctorate from Saint Petersburg State University, the alma mater of both Medvedev and Putin.
A total of 33 business leaders are accompanying Lee on the trip. They include Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo.