S. Korea's PM Hails Diplomatic Relations with Qatar

Doha, August 27 (QNA) - The Prime Minister of South Korea Chung Hong-won has emphasized the depth of relations between his country and the State of Qatar, noting that next year will be the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. He expressed his belief that relations between the two countries would grow more strategically and mutually as traditional allies and Qatar would become an important cooperation partner in the Middle East. In an interview with the Qatari daily (Al Sharq) published today, on the occasion of his visit to the country, the South Korean Prime Minister said that the State of Qatar is the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas to South Korea (30%) and the third exporter of crude oil (11%), noting to a plan for continued cooperation in the field of energy. Meanwhile, Chung said that his talks with Qatari officials during the visit will focus on the effective participation of Korean companies in terms of technology and cost in many construction projects in Qatar in preparations for the 2022 World Cup. South Korea and Qatar are important trading partners to each other on the basis of the complementary industrial structure, he said, adding that trading volume has increased between the two countries more than double from $123 billion in 2010 to $262 billion in 2012. In the recent years, Korea's crude oil imports from Qatar have increased from 64 million barrels in 2010 to 103 million barrels in 2012, he said. Qatar is a resource-rich country as it has the third-largest reserves of natural gas and the tenth-largest reserves of oil, said the Prime Minister. Under the leadership of HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the wise policy based on the Qatar National Vision 2030, Qatar offers a leading plan to the sustainable development and a readiness to the era after oil, Chung said, pointing out that Qatar has prioritized "human development" and has focused its investments in the sectors of health, education and infrastructure, and this is similar to the policy of the Supreme National in Korea. Chung expressed confidence that the doors of cooperation with the State of Qatar are open into all fields, saying that since 1976, when the first Korean company worked in Qatar, many vital projects have been implementated successfully. He added that Korean companies are still working in 19 projects in Qatar, including Lusail Expressway project, Barzan Gas project, Business Network project, electricity and the metro project. (QNA)