Saudi Arabia, South Korea Seek to Boost Relations, Investments

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, South Korea Seek to Boost Relations, Investments

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, held talks on Tuesday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on bilateral relations between their countries and ways to bolster them in all fields.

The South Korean leader had arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday on an official visit.

Talks with the Crown Prince also tackled regional and international developments.

Saudi Ambassador to Seoul, Sami Alsadhan noted that Crown Prince Mohammed had made an official visit to South Korea in 2019.

His trip helped strengthen relations with Seoul and expanded them to cover areas such a health, information technology, culture and education, he told the Saudi Press Agency.

South Korea is a strategic partner to Saudi Arabia as shown in the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the Saudi-Korean Vision 2030 cooperation agreement that was signed in October 2017, he added.

Meanwhile, a senior Korean source said Seoul and Riyadh enjoy military cooperation that may later be expanded to include rockets and military equipment.

Fields that may provide cooperation opportunities include hydrogen fuel, renewable energy, digitization, technology, advanced industries, education and health.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the bilateral talks between Saudi Arabia and South Korea covered several agreements and memorandums of understanding that underscore the strategic natures of their relations.

Moon's visit to Riyadh and meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed will pave the way for more opportunities and shape the future ties between their countries.

Major countries are seeking to relocate their regional headquarters to Saudi Arabia, he remarked, a reference to South Korea's LG Corp's plan to establish its regional headquarter Riyadh.



Mohammed bin Salman, Trump Sign Economic Strategic Partnership Agreement

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump meet at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump meet at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Mohammed bin Salman, Trump Sign Economic Strategic Partnership Agreement

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump meet at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump meet at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump chaired in Riyadh on Tuesday the Saudi-American summit that reviewed several joint files.

The leaders then signed an economic strategic partnership agreement. They also oversaw the signing of several agreements between their countries in various fields. They include:

A memorandum of understanding for energy cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Energy and US Department of Energy, exchanged by Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.

A memorandum of intent for the modernization and development of the capabilities of the Saudi Armed Forces through future defense capabilities between the Saudi Ministry of Defense and US Department of Defense, exchanged by Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Speaking at the Saudi-US investment forum later, Crown Prince Mohammed said: “What we have signed today is part of larger ambition.”

“We hope to continue to build with you President Trump,” he added to the US leader who was among the guests. “We hope for $600 billion investments opportunities and hopefully raised to $1 trillion.”

Also announced were the following agreements:

A memorandum of cooperation in the field of mining and mineral resources between the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and US Department of Energy.

A letter of intent to complete work and enhance joint cooperation on ammunition, training, support services, maintenance, systems modernization, spare parts, and education for the Saudi Ministry of the National Guard's land and air systems.

A memorandum of understanding between the International Partnership Program of the Saudi Ministry of Interior and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the US Department of Justice.

A letter of intent between the Saudi Ministry of Defense and US Department of Defense regarding the development of the health capabilities of the Saudi Armed Forces.

A memorandum of understanding for judicial cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Justice and the US Department of Justice.

An executive agreement between the Saudi Space Agency and NASA for cooperation on the Space Weather CubeSat on the Artemis II Mission.

A Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement.

A Protocol of Amendment to the Saudi Arabia-US Air Transport Agreement.

A memorandum of understanding for cooperation between the Saudi National Institute of Health Research and US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the field of medical research on infectious diseases.

A collaboration agreement between the Royal Commission for AlUla and the Smithsonian Institute through its National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

A ‏collaboration agreement between the Royal Commission for AlUla and the Smithsonian Institute through its National Museum of Asian Art.

Prior to the meeting, Crown Prince Mohammed had welcomed Trump at the Royal Court in the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.

An official reception ceremony was held, featuring an Arabian horse escort for the presidential motorcade, a trumpet fanfare, as well as the rendition of the American and Saudi national anthems.

Following the ceremony, the Crown Prince escorted the president to the main reception hall, where both leaders enjoyed traditional Saudi coffee and exchanged greetings with members of each other’s delegations.

The Crown Prince then hosted an official luncheon in honor of Trump.

Trump had arrived in the Kingdom earlier on Tuesday on his first overseas trip since his reelection. He will later visit the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.