Prime Minister meets Turkish counterpart in Istanbul
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on the afternoon of Mar. 15, local time. They discussed ways to promote bilateral cooperation.
The two prime ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in their defense industries and to join efforts to build nuclear power plants, lay high-speed railway lines and establish an e-government system in Turkey.
They shared the view that the worldwide recession should not result in strengthening trade protectionism; rather countries of the world should proactively push for free trade deals. They discussed ways to conclude a Korea-Turkish free trade agreement at an early date.
Earlier that day, Han presided over a preparatory meeting for a high-level expert panel on "water and natural disasters" as part of the fifth World Water Forum, which opens on Mar. 16 and ends on Mar. 22 in the Turkish capital under the title "Bridging Divides for Water."
The participants discussed the "Water and Disaster Action Plan," an international set of guidelines to cope with the problems of clean water shortages and climate change.
Han will introduce Korea's "low carbon, green growth" vision to the participants at the triennial forum, where he will ask them to support Korea's bid to host the seventh World Water Forum in 2015.
By Chung Myung-je
Korea.net Chief Staff Writer