Lee hopes Korea-Mongolia summit marks 'golden era' in bilateral ties

President Lee Jae Myung, on a state visit to Mongolia, held a summit with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on Thursday (local time) and said the two countries would "further expand mutually beneficial cooperation across multiple areas — including economic affairs, development cooperation, and health and medicine — on the basis of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which reached a tentative agreement in principle on Wednesday."

Speaking at the opening remarks of the Korea-Mongolia summit at the Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Lee said the two sides would "solidify political trust between Korea and Mongolia and deepen the strategic partnership on the foundation of the friendship between our two leaders." He added that he hoped Thursday's summit would serve as "a starting point heralding a new leap forward in bilateral relations and a historic occasion that opens a golden era in Korea-Mongolia ties."

On diplomatic and security issues, Lee said the two countries "must cooperate closely for peace and development in the region and the world at a time when uncertainty in the international situation is deepening." He added that he believed "maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia will serve as a common interest for both our nations."

Lee went on to say that "our government will continue to work toward building sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation." He expressed gratitude for Mongolia's "constructive role and support for progress on the Korean Peninsula situation" and said he looked forward to continued cooperation to promote peace and cooperation on the peninsula.

President Khurelsukh responded by saying that "the Republic of Korea is Mongolia's 'third neighbor' and a country with which we share an important strategic partnership."

Mongolia's "third neighbor" policy refers to the country's diplomatic approach of reducing dependence on China and Russia by expanding cooperation with liberal democratic nations.

Khurelsukh said he believed the "historic visit" would allow the two countries to "open a golden era in bilateral relations," adding that the visit would make "a valuable contribution to strengthening political trust with Korea and increasing substantive economic cooperation."