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.



Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
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Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive.

"We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That's the key point of the entire negotiations," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, Reuters reported.

Mossad Director David Barnea traveled to Doha on Thursday to meet Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported last week.

Sheikh Mohammed didn't say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.

He said the militant group is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages if Israel ends the war in Gaza. But Israel wants Hamas to release the remaining hostages without offering a clear vision on ending the war, he said.

"When you don't have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities (to end the war) become very thin," Sheikh Mohammed said at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Fidan said talks Turkish officials have held with Hamas had shown the group would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a January ceasefire collapsed, saying it would keep up pressure on Hamas until it frees the remaining hostages still held in the enclave. Up to 24 of them are believed to still be alive.

The Gaza war started after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 51,400, according to local health officials.