Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

South Korea and Azerbaijan have closely cooperated in the political, economic, cultural and other fields over 20 years since the establishment of their diplomatic relations, the newly appointed Korean ambassador, Choi Suk-inn, said at a press conference last week.

The ambassador spoke about political relations, stressing mutual visits by officials of the two countries and regular conduct of discussions between government agencies to enhance bilateral cooperation.

South Korea and Azerbaijan have signed 40 documents so far, and relevant framework has been created to develop friendly relations between the two governments, he said.

Amb. Choi said the two countries are currently in talks on the development of defense cooperation. According to him, representatives of the Korean defense industry visited Azerbaijan a month ago.

Choi noted that his country has appointed a military attache to its embassy in Azerbaijan, and this appointment will provide favorable conditions for the development of cooperation in this field.

Touching upon economic relations, the ambassador said the two countries signed an agreement on economic cooperation this August. According to the agreement, a joint commission was established, and the two countries plan to discuss directions of economic cooperation.

Korean-Azerbaijani trade turnover is currently $650 million - a significant increase compared to $43 million in 2005. South Korea mainly supplies cars and electronic equipment to Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijan exports oil, aluminum and copper, the ambassador said.

Korean companies' investments in the Azerbaijani economy made up $150 million from 2008 to 2011. The Korean companies operate in the fields of ICT, highway construction, design of buildings and other facilities, etc.

South Korea shares its experience with Azerbaijan by supporting training programs, ICT and other projects. According to the ambassador, Korea will allocate $43 million for a career center in Azerbaijan and a project on a wastewater treatment plant in the Pirshagi settlement near the capital Baku.

The Korean government considers renewable energy as an impetus to future development and invests in this sector. The Azerbaijani government is also interested in the development of renewable energy, therefore, cooperation in this field would produce effective results, the ambassador said.

According to the ambassador, South Korea is one of the leading world countries in the field of information technologies. In Azerbaijan, ICT is also developing rapidly, therefore, mutual assistance of the two countries could yield significant results, he said.

He also said Korean companies are greatly interested in Azerbaijan's operations in the field of petrochemicals and are globally competitive.

The two governments are also actively conducting cultural exchanges. The Korean embassy has held a number of relevant events.

Silk Road project

The ambassador said that South Korea is discussing its joining the Silk Road, a major international transport route that connects the East and the West.

"Korea is in the process of discussing the Silk Road project with experts in this field," he underscored.

The Silk Road, or Silk Route, is a modern term referring to a historical network of interlinking people involved in the human centipede across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa. Extending 4,000 miles (6,500 km), the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative Chinese silk trade along it, which began during the Han Dynasty.

Ambassador Choi said his country was eyeing cooperation with Azerbaijan within the Silk Road project and discussions to that end were underway.

South Korea is discussing creation of a route extending to Uzbekistan within the Silk Road project, but no talks are currently ongoing about an extension to Azerbaijan.