Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena is due to arrive in Seoul on Tuesday for a summit with President Moon Jae-in, which South Korea hopes will move forward its drive to expand all-round cooperation with South Asian nations. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena is due to arrive in Seoul on Tuesday for a summit with President Moon Jae-in, which South Korea hopes will move forward its drive to expand all-round cooperation with South Asian nations.
Sirisena is the third foreign head of state to make a state visit to South Korea since Moon came into office in May. The other two were U.S. President Donald Trump and Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is scheduled to greet Sirisena at an air base south of Seoul.
An official welcoming ceremony is set for Wednesday and will be followed by talks.
After the meeting, the two leaders are scheduled to sign agreements and attend a state banquet.
Presidential officials expect Sirisena’s trip will contribute to Moon’s push to expand the country’s diplomatic horizon further south and forge stronger ties with Southeast and Southwest Asian nations.
“We expect President Sirisena’s visit to South Korea to help realize the country’s New South Policy by helping to expand the area of our foreign policy to Southwest Asia, following President Moon’s trip to Southeast Asia,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun told a press briefing last week.
(Yonhap)
