Hala Al Khayyat (Abu Dhabi)
Bilateral relations between the UAE and the Republic of Korea are witnessing qualitative development in various political, economic and cultural fields. Over the past four decades, they have been characterized by the strength of the strategic partnership and continuous development, and are receiving great attention from the leadership of the two friendly countries, especially in light of the high-level official visits between the two countries, the most recent of which was in January. In the past, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, received His Excellency Yoon Seok-yeol, President of the friendly Republic of Korea, during his visit to the Emirates, which contributed to strengthening the strength and strength of bilateral relations between the two countries, in a way that serves common interests and visions.
Strategic partnership
The UAE is unique in its strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea, and is considered the first country in the Middle East to enjoy this type of exceptional partnership that has contributed to strengthening cooperation between the two countries in multiple fields, the most important of which are economics, politics, food security, health care, culture, government administration, space, energy, and tourism. .
The UAE and Korea presented a distinguished model of relations between the two countries, a model based on enhancing international cooperation in development and confronting challenges, which has proven to be a role model in the field of cooperation, strategic partnerships, and the exchange of experiences and best practices in various fields.
Diplomatic relations
Diplomatic relations between the UAE and the Republic of Korea officially began on June 18, 1980, and since that date, they have witnessed remarkable development, as relations were upgraded to a “strategic partnership” in 2009, then to a “special strategic partnership” in 2018, and these relations expanded to include all… Areas of cooperation at the political, economic, cultural and other levels. The qualitative development witnessed in bilateral relations between the UAE and the Republic of Korea is due to the keenness of the leadership in both countries to support and develop these relations.
Mutual visits
The relationship between the two countries reached a special level of strategic relations between the two countries, strengthened by historical visits between the two leaderships, which reflected the keenness of the UAE and Korea to develop their relations and strengthen effective communication and continuous interconnection to provide opportunities for cooperation in several fields.
The numerous mutual visits that took place at the level of leaders and high-level officials between the two sides played an important role in consolidating and strengthening these relations. The most prominent visits at the level of leaders were the visits of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him,” in June 2006 and May. 2010, March 2012, February 2014, and February 2019.
As for the Korean side, the most prominent visits by leaders were the visit of former President Roh Moo-hyun in May 2006, the visits of former President Lee Myung-bak in December 2009, March 2011, February 2012, and November 2012, and the visits of former Korean President Park Geun. Hee” in May 2014 and March 2015, the visit of His Excellency President Moon Jae-in in March 2018, and the visit of His Excellency Yoon Seok-yeol, President of the Republic of Korea in January 2023.
These relations were strengthened through dialogue channels and high-level meetings between the two sides, including the strategic dialogue between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the (2+2) meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, high-level consultations on nuclear cooperation, and meetings of the Joint Economic Committee, as well as through the signing of several Agreements and memorandums of understanding between the two countries in various fields of cooperation.
Agreements and memorandums of understanding
The strong relationship between the UAE and Korea has witnessed many agreements and memorandums of understanding over the past years, in various sectors, the most important of which are defence, oil, education and health. The agreement to establish the “Barakah” peaceful nuclear energy plant in 2009 is one of the most prominent milestones in bilateral relations between the UAE and Korea, as the project completed the operation of its first reactor in August 2020, despite the challenges that the Corona pandemic placed before the world.
Construction work on the station began in July 2012 after obtaining the construction license from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation and a no-objection certificate from the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi. When fully operational, the four Barakah stations produce the equivalent of 25% of the electricity consumed in the UAE, and reduce Of 21 million tons of carbon emissions annually, which is equivalent to removing 3.2 million cars from the country’s roads every year.
Health cooperation
The UAE and Korea signed several memorandums of understanding and cooperation between the two countries in the health and medical fields, which include medical evaluation and licensing programmes, hospital management and the exchange of medical expertise, in addition to areas of exchange of expertise in medical education.
Many specialized Korean health companies operate major hospitals in the Emirates, due to Korea’s good reputation for medical care and modern technologies used in the health care sector and customer care services.
During the past year, Abu Dhabi strengthened cooperation with Korea by signing a memorandum of understanding that brought together the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center and the Korean Institute for Health Sector Development, to enhance cooperation in the field of logistics and life sciences and biotechnology industries, including examining cooperation opportunities to consolidate Abu Dhabi’s position as a center. Logistics for exporting life sciences, pharmaceutical and healthcare products from Korea, and supporting development and investment in life sciences companies in the UAE.
The cooperation includes a number of means of partnership in the fields of clinical research, public health promotion, disease prevention, innovation in life sciences, and other areas of common interest, including launching training and educational initiatives, in partnership with prestigious teaching hospitals in the two countries, to provide training and education opportunities for doctors and dentists. nursing and allied health professions, and identifying and pursuing collaborative research projects, including the development of vaccinations, epidemiological studies, and new diagnostic methods.
Shared values
The UAE and Korea share common values, and the experience of cultural development and comprehensive renaissance is one of the similar models for the two countries. The year 2020 witnessed the launch of the Emirati-Korean cultural dialogue, as a new milestone in the history of the two countries’ relations, and evidence of their commitment to celebrating arts and culture. In addition, there is the Korean Cultural Center, which was opened in 2016, which is an important edifice for cultural diplomacy in the country. Korean culture is welcomed and passionate about by the Emirati community, which seeks to get to know it closely, especially through the annual Korean Festival in Abu Dhabi, which has been organized by the Korean Cultural Center since 2013. Zayed University is also witnessing a demand from students to learn the Korean language at the King Sejong Institute. And the Korean Club at the university, as an opportunity for UAE students to learn Korean history and culture.
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