Hong Jong-ki, the outgoing Korean ambassador, said on Thursday that the Kingdom’s participation in the summit was “very important,” both bilaterally as well as from a global perspective.
Saudi Arabia, Hong said, was the only OPEC member in the G20. “Moreover, the Kingdom assumes a leadership position in both the Arab and the Muslim world, representing a very diverse political constituency, while it has been increasingly exposed to the challenges of globalization,” said the diplomat.
The diplomat was speaking after wrapping up his two-year diplomatic assignment in Saudi Arabia. “The Kingdom was like my second home, because I had two successful diplomatic innings in Riyadh,” he said.
His second son was born in 1986, when he was posted here as junior embassy officer, he recalled.
“I enjoyed the Saudi hospitality more,” said the envoy, who also hosted a well-attended farewell party earlier this week.
Hong said that the Seoul meeting represented the fifth G20 summit, which is expected to provide an important platform for fast-developing nations like Saudi Arabia and South Korea to wield larger influence on key issues related to global economic stability.
He pointed out that a large delegation will leave Riyadh to attend the G20 meeting and there may be bilateral talks between senior Saudi and Korean officials on the sidelines of the summit.
He added that meetings between top-ranking Saudi and Korean officials had also been scheduled in the future. Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al-Anqari and Minister of Water and Electricity Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hussayen are scheduled to visit Seoul before the end of the current year. This is in addition to the recent ministerial meeting organized within the framework of the joint economic commission, added Hong.
“The two countries reviewed all aspects of economic and political relations, giving a new push to the bilateral relations following the ministerial meeting,” he said of the meeting.
The two countries witnessed a remarkable progress in their bilateral relations as a result of the summit meeting between King Abdullah and the former President Roh Moo-hyun in Riyadh in 2007, the diplomat said.
“Such developments are indicators that bilateral relations have entered a new phase of promotion and development,” he added.
He said South Korea, being a developing country with useful and highly impressive development experience, as well as a G20 member, is a major commercial partner and a political ally of Riyadh. Further extending bilateral trade and investments may lead to the strengthened political and economical ties, he said.
This will eventually result in achieving economic growth for both sides, he said. Moreover, Korea has formally selected Saudi Arabia as a development partner for 2010. Trade relations between Saudi Arabia and South Korea have witnessed a steady development during the last five years. There are at least 98 joint ventures, while major Korean companies are executing billions of dollars worth of projects in the Kingdom at the moment.
