Speaker Park Byeong-seok's Official Visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain... Strengthening Cooperation with Arab Countries

On the 8th, Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok is striking the gavel in the plenary session hall of the National Assembly. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok departed on the night of the 9th and will make an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain for 6 nights and 9 days until the 17th. This is the highest-level visit from Korea to the UAE since COVID-19, and it is the first visit by a Korean National Assembly Speaker to Bahrain. Through this tour, cooperation between the Arab world and Korea is expected to be further strengthened.

Speaker Park will visit the UAE from the 10th to the 13th at the invitation of Saqr Ghobash Saeed Al Marri, Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council, and then visit Bahrain from the 13th to the 16th at the invitation of Fawziya bint Abdullah Jameel, Speaker of the Bahrain House of Representatives.

During this visit, Speaker Park plans to discuss ▲ celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the UAE and promoting friendship as part of the special strategic partnership ▲ celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bahrain's independence and the 45th anniversary of Korea-Bahrain diplomatic relations and expanding healthcare cooperation ▲ ways to enhance economic cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era ▲ cooperation in advanced medical, agricultural technology, and nuclear fields, and plans to visit the UAE military training unit (Ark Unit), which is marking its 10th anniversary of deployment.

The UAE is an important ally in the Middle East that has established a "special strategic partnership" with Korea, having imported Korea’s first nuclear power plant (Barakah Nuclear Power Plant) and commencing commercial operation in March. Speaker Park will review current issues and seek ways to promote economic cooperation during the visit to the UAE. On Lunar New Year, he plans to visit the Ark Unit, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary of deployment, to encourage the troops.

Following this, he will hold a meeting with the Speaker in Bahrain to discuss expanding healthcare cooperation between the two countries, including the establishment of a Korean-style health insurance system in Bahrain. Economic and trade cooperation measures to expand the entry of Korean companies into infrastructure and plant sectors will also be addressed.