박보람
| 2026-09-16 15:17:27
(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 8-11)
By Park Boram
SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan agreed Wednesday to establish a comprehensive partnership between their countries, with the South Korean leader expressing hope the new partnership will help expand the countries' cooperation in various areas, including critical minerals.
The agreement to upgrade the countries' relationship came in a bilateral summit at Cheong Wa Dae, ahead of the inaugural South Korea-Central Asia Summit to be held later Wednesday that will also be attended by the heads of state of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.
"Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, South Korea and Tajikistan have continuously developed friendly cooperation," Lee said at the opening of his meeting with the Tajikistani president. "I find it very meaningful that the two countries established a comprehensive partnership on the occasion of the president's visit."
Lee highlighted Tajikistan's rich mineral resources and high economic growth potential, pledging that South Korea will "proactively cooperate for Tajikistan's economic development as a trustworthy partner."
"I hope that the two countries will further expand mutually beneficial cooperation in sectors including railways, critical minerals and digital (technology)," the South Korean president added.
Rahmon said that one of his country's policy priorities is strengthening cooperation with South Korea, stressing the long history of solidarity and friendship between the two countries.
He also stressed the need to devise legal and institutional foundations to elevate bilateral cooperation to match the level of the new partnership, and said that the latest dialogue will serve as an important opportunity to ramp up diplomacy and political trust between the countries.
Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, later said in a press release that the leaders have agreed to expand their countries' bilateral cooperation to new areas including infrastructure, critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI) by establishing the comprehensive strategic partnership.
Lee and Rahmon shared the understanding that railways and the construction of mineral resource supply chains are areas where the two countries can work together for mutual interest, while the Tajikistani president pledged to set up a "Korea desk" to address issues involving South Korean firms operating in Tajikistan, according to Seong.
They also exchanged views on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and the international security situation, while President Rahmon expressed "full support for the resolution of Korean Peninsula issues through peaceful measures, including dialogue," Seong added.
As part of the summit, South Korea and Tajikistan signed a total of 17 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and pacts on enhancing cooperation in industries and public administration, including those on expanding Seoul's exports of textile and chemical products to Tajikistan and paving the way for AI and digital development.
Rahmon later met with South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook and discussed ways to bolster all-round cooperation.
"The development of relations with the Republic of Korea is one of Tajikistan's important foreign policies," Rahmon said through an interpreter at the start of the meeting.
Referring to a series of agreements signed on the sidelines of the summit between the two countries, Rahmon said that a legal framework has been set up for the development of bilateral relations. A total of 17 agreements were signed, most of them on enhancing economic cooperation.
"The new pacts signed today will contribute to further strengthening the economic partnership that is beneficial to each other," Rahmon said. "I am satisfied with the overall growth of relations between the two countries."
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