Moon to make three-country trip to Middle East later this week

President Moon Jae-in will make a three-country Middle East trip later this week as South Korea seeks to boost ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Egypt in the fields of energy, construction and infrastructure, officials said.

On the first leg of the trip, Moon will attend a business forum in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday as well as an official ceremony for “Day of Korea” at the Dubai Expo, the presidential office said.

The following day, Moon will hold talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on how to further develop bilateral ties.

After the UAE, Moon will visit Saudi Arabia on Jan. 18-19 to hold talks with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and to attend a business forum.

On Jan. 20-21, Moon will make a state visit to Egypt at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Moon and the Egyptian president are expected to discuss ways to further develop the comprehensive cooperative partnership between the two nations.

After holding a summit with the Egyptian president, Moon will attend a business forum where he will discuss ways to promote cooperation in eco-friendly businesses.

Presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said Moon’s visit to the three Middle Eastern nations is expected to bolster bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, construction and infrastructure as well as public health, science and hydrogen.

Moon will return home on Jan. 22.