▲ This undated file photo shows National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. (Yonhap)

parliamentary speaker-Europe visit

Nat'l Assembly speaker to visit Portugal, Italy and Spain

SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik will embark on a 10-day trip to Portugal, Italy and Spain to discuss bilateral cooperation on supply chains, renewable energy and other key issues, his office said Thursday.

During his trip to Portugal, the first leg of his official visit that begins Thursday, Woo will hold talks with his Portuguese counterpart, Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and Carlos Abreu Amorim, minister of parliamentary affairs, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in lithium supply chains, batteries and renewable energy.

In Italy, he will meet with President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana and Gian Marco Centinaio, vice president of the Italian Senate, and explore ways to expand cooperation, including measures to speed up the issuance of visas.

Woo will also visit the Vatican to meet with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik to urge their support for inter-Korean reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

During the meeting, he will express Seoul's commitment to ensure the success of the 2027 World Youth Day, a major event that brings together Catholic youths from around the world for prayer and interaction with the pope.

Woo will then travel to Spain for talks with Pedro Rollan, the president of the Spanish Senate, and Francina Armengol, president of the Congress of Deputies, to discuss partnerships in climate change and securing new growth engines, according to his office.

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