Romania and South Korea expand bilateral cooperation

Romania and South Korea have agreed to expand their bilateral cooperation based on the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Areas such as defence, nuclear energy, investment and foreign trade were at the centre of talks between President Klaus Iohannis and his Seoul counterpart. Correspondence from Seoul - Reporter: Alina Stanuta.

"The current global crises call for increased efforts to defend the rules-based international order by all those with a common vision, regardless of the geographical area we are in", said President Klaus Iohannis after his meeting with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol.

"We encouraged a substantial increase in South Korean investments in Romania, especially in strategic areas such as infrastructure, energy and defence", President Klaus Iohannis said, adding that "Romania is also considering cooperation in the field of agriculture, with a focus on food and water security, or strengthening bilateral relations in the field of port infrastructure".

Klaus Iohannis: The fact is that this relationship with South Korea is evolving very well and I believe that we have a real chance that this cooperation in the nuclear field will actually help us to become pioneers on small modular reactors in our region, but there are also many other areas where cooperation can create jobs and bring technology to Romania, for example in the defence industry.

The joint statement on strengthening the Romania-Republic of Korea strategic partnership, adopted today in the presence of the two heads of state, sets out the main directions of cooperation for the next 10 years.

Political and security dialogue, economic cooperation and investment, as well as cooperation in the fields of culture, education and human contacts are the three essential pillars of the two countries' future cooperation.

Translated by: Radu Matei