Czech Premier Sobotka Meets Korean President Park Geun-hye to Discuss Deepening of Cooperation between the Two Countries

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Minister of Transport Dan Ťok met on Thursday 26 February 2015 with President of Korea Park Geun-hye as part of the Czech Cabinet's working trip to Korea. During the meeting, the officials discussed ways of developing cooperation between Korea and the Czech Republic and subsequently signed important memoranda on deepening exchange between the two countries in numerous fields.

During their meeting, President Park Geun-hye and Premier Sobotka discussed the development of partnerships in such areas as transportation, transport infrastructure, security, the defense industry, and science, research, and innovation. Further, they debated ways of intensifying cultural exchange and cooperation between universities.

Strategic Partnership Declaration between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea

The meeting between President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Sobotka culminated with the signing of the Joint Declaration on Establishment of Strategic Partnership, in which the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea declared interest in deepening cooperation with a view to promoting mutual relations to the level of a strategic partnership. The declaration defines specific areas where the two countries will cooperate.

Closer Cooperation on Security, Transportation, and Foreign Affairs

During the visit, the Czech and Korean Ministries of Foreign Affairs signed a memorandum of understanding under which they agreed on regular policy consultations. Further, the Czech Ministry of Transport, represented by Minister Dan Ťok, and the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of railway transportation, and the Czech and Korean Ministries of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on defense and security.

According to Sobotka, the trip to South Korea is one of his most important visits planned this year, as Czech-Korean relations are dynamically developing in numerous areas despite the large distance between the countries.

"During the past 25 years, relations between the Czech Republic and Korea have developed in a dynamic fashion and continue to flourish. The Republic of Korea is one of the Czech Republic's most important partners in the entire Asian region. Today, President Park Geun-hye and I have agreed to further expand and deepen our cooperation in such areas as investment, transportation, foreign affairs, and science, research, and education," stated Sobotka.

According to the Czech premier, an important role in the deepening of mutual relations has been played by investments of Korean corporations in the Czech Republic as well as by cultural exchange, particularly in such areas as classical music, literature, and cinematography.