[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the 27th, President Moon Jae-in held a phone call with Gitanas Naus?da, President of Lithuania, to discuss ways for bilateral cooperation to overcome the global spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) crisis.
The Blue House stated in a press release that President Naus?da highly praised the Korean government's COVID-19 response measures and expressed hope to learn from Korea's experience in responding to COVID-19 through the establishment of consultation channels between health authorities and experts of both countries.
During the call, President Naus?da showed interest in purchasing Korean COVID-19 diagnostic kits and medical supplies. In response, President Moon said, "We will review how to provide assistance as much as possible," adding, "Korea experienced the spread of COVID-19 earlier than Europe and has accumulated extensive experience and clinical data in quarantine and treatment processes, which we will actively share with Lithuania and the international community."
President Moon also introduced that at the G20 Special Virtual Summit held the previous day, there was a broad consensus among leaders on maintaining smooth international trade without causing unnecessary obstacles to cross-border movement and trade. He emphasized the need for international cooperation and solidarity to prevent the global economy from contracting due to the COVID-19 crisis.
President Moon further mentioned, "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1991, the steady increase in human and economic exchanges between the two countries seems to have been temporarily halted due to COVID-19 ahead of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, which is regrettable," and expressed hope that exchanges between the two countries would become active again once the situation stabilizes. President Naus?da, recalling his private visit to Korea last October, said, "I would like to make an official visit to Korea when the opportunity arises."
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