On the afternoon of the 20th, phone calls with leaders of Luxembourg, Italy, and Egypt... Support for Yoo Myung-hee's campaign as WTO Director-General candidate
[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in held a series of phone calls on the afternoon of the 20th with the leaders of Luxembourg, Italy, and Egypt to support Yoo Myung-hee, the Chief Trade Negotiator who advanced to the final round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General election.
Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for the Blue House, stated on the 20th, "President Moon Jae-in supported Yoo Myung-hee, the Chief Trade Negotiator who advanced to the final round of the WTO Director-General election, through three presidential calls this afternoon."
At 5:30 p.m., he spoke consecutively with Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and at 6 p.m. with Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy. At 10 p.m., he is scheduled to have a call with Abdel Fattah Said Hussein El Sisi, President of Egypt.
During the calls with the Prime Ministers of Luxembourg and Italy, President Moon said, "First, I would like to thank the EU for its united support for our candidate in the first and second rounds," and emphasized, "The next WTO Director-General should be a candidate capable of protecting the free trade system and restoring trust in the multilateral trading system through WTO reform."
President Moon appealed for support, stating, "Yoo Myung-hee, the Chief Trade Negotiator who enjoys broad support across all continents, is the best candidate to successfully carry out WTO reform."
Spokesperson Kang explained, "Prime Ministers Bettel of Luxembourg and Conte of Italy congratulated Korean candidate Yoo Myung-hee on advancing to the final round and wished her success, recognizing her outstanding capabilities, vision for WTO reform, and extensive experience in the trade sector."
President Moon expressed concerns about the recent resurgence of COVID-19, emphasizing, "The most important thing to overcome COVID-19 is solidarity and cooperation within the international community, especially solidarity and cooperation for the development and equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bettel of Luxembourg noted that Luxembourg has become a global hub for trade and finance following the UK's Brexit and expressed hope to strengthen related cooperation with Korea, which President Moon also agreed with.
Prime Minister Conte explained that Italy is scheduled to assume the G20 presidency next year and requested Korea's active interest and participation for a successful presidency.
Spokesperson Kang conveyed, "President Moon welcomed Italy’s assumption of the G20 presidency next year and expressed hope that under Prime Minister Conte’s leadership, the G20 system will play an important role in strengthening international solidarity and cooperation."
Spokesperson Kang added, "Through the calls with the Prime Ministers of Luxembourg and Italy at 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, and the call with President El Sisi of Egypt at 10 p.m., we hope that public support for Chief Negotiator Yoo Myung-hee will expand."
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