Lee pledges South Korea's support for Turkmenistan's resource development

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that South Korea would stand alongside Turkmenistan as the Central Asian nation works to transform its abundant natural resources into high-value industries and jobs, and to develop its territory — bridging the Caspian Sea and Central Asia — into a new hub for logistics and trade.

Lee made the remarks at Cheong Wa Dae during a summit with Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, saying the South Korean government would provide firm backing so that the two countries could maximize each other's strengths and open new opportunities together.

He also expressed gratitude for Turkmenistan's assistance during the Iran war, saying he was deeply thankful that the country had taken special care to help South Korean nationals and their families staying in Iran evacuate safely through Turkmenistan amid the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Middle East last year and this year.

The remarks renewed his expression of thanks for an episode from March, in the early days of the Iran war, when some 30 South Koreans in Iran escaped overland into Turkmenistan.

Lee went on to say that "a warm hand extended in a difficult moment truly showed the deep trust and friendship between our two countries."

He added that the two countries had built a solid foundation for practical cooperation since establishing a mutually beneficial partnership in 2008, and expressed hope that they would now use that foundation to produce results that citizens could feel in their daily lives.

President Berdimuhamedov responded by saying he highly valued South Korea's continued support for various initiatives Turkmenistan had put forward on the international stage, and that Turkmenistan likewise supported South Korea's positions on major international issues.

He specifically mentioned Lee's North Korea policy framework — the END Initiative, which stands for Exchange, Normalization and Denuclearization — saying he wished to reaffirm Turkmenistan's support for it at the meeting.

"We have consistently maintained, and will continue to maintain, the position that all issues on the Korean Peninsula must be resolved through peaceful dialogue and diplomacy," he said.