Korean Ambassador Chung Keejong along with HE Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, cuts the cake to mark the Korean National Foundation Day. PICTURE: Jayaram
By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter
The trade volume between Qatar and the Republic of Korea reached about $27bn in 2013, making Korea one of the biggest trading partners of Qatar, said Korean Ambassador Chung Keejong yesterday.
Keejong was speaking at the Korean National Foundation Day celebrations held at Grand Hyatt Doha, where a cake cutting ceremony was held to mark the occasion.
HE Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo, the Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Ali Ibrahim Ahmad, a number of ambassadors from various missions in Qatar and a galaxy of VIP guests joined the Korean envoy on the occasion. Keejong said: “The growing close co-operation between the two countries can be seen from the expanding bilateral trade relations. We have excellent and growing co-operation in the energy and construction fields. Qatar is the number one supplier of LNG and the fifth largest supplier of oil to Korea.”
The envoy said that Korea and Qatar established their diplomatic relationship in 1974 and has enjoyed a successful co-operation since then contributing to each other’s growth.
“This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the friendship. A number of events were held in Doha and Seoul to commemorate this occasion, and it enhanced the understanding of each other more.”
He also made a special mention of the Qatar government and HE Dr al-Kuwari’s support in carrying out all the events successfully. Keejong highlighted and lauded the important position that Qatar occupies in several fields in the world other than the energy sector.
“Qatar is a strong advocate for climate and environmental development including global green growth and furthermore, other new economic engines for coping with new economic trends of the world. The Korean government shares same views with Qatar and wishes to develop co-operation in these new fields,” he added.
The ambassador also spoke about the ongoing Asian Games in Korea and congratulated the Qatari team’s brilliant performance in equestrian as well as track & field events. He also invited more Qataris to visit Korea especially the countryside and the cultural heritage sites in the country.
