Dar, Seoul tighten bonds
SOUTH KOREA: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan arrived in the Republic of Korea yesterday, beginning her six-day state visit in the Asian nation, which is set to broaden ties between the two countries.
Upon her arrival at the Seoul Air Base, President Samia met with the Administrative Head of Sejong City, Kim Hyung-ryeol. A large number of Tanzanians living in the Republic of Korea also turned up to welcome the Head of State and her delegation.
Sejong City, the new capital of the Republic of Korea, is a sister city with Tanzania’s Dodoma Capital. Soon after landing in Seoul, Dr Samia held talks with Mr Kim on various issues related to the relationship between Tanzania and the Republic of Korea.
Dodoma and Seoul governments are expected to finalise a significant soft loan framework agreement worth 2.5 billion US dollars (about 6.6tri/-) to fund crucial development projects in the country over the next five years (2024-2028).
According to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Mr January Makamba, the two countries are committed to enhancing cooperation in aviation, the blue economy, strategic minerals, culture, arts and agriculture.
President Samia will hold bilateral talks with Mr Yoon regarding key areas of cooperation, including education, health, and infrastructure, which will be formalised by the signing of seven Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).
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Among the institutions signing the MoUs is the Geological Survey of Tanzania (GST), which will sign a binding framework with Korea’s Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resource to promote collaboration in mineral survey and mapping.
President Samia will also be awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Aviation Management from the Korea Aerospace University (KAU) in recognition of her transformative actions, policy interventions and pragmatic leadership that have improved the country’s aviation sector through airport infrastructure development, capacity building investments and fleet expansion for both passenger and cargo planes as a result of the revitalisation of the Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL).
President Samia is also scheduled to participate in the Korea-Africa Summit.
A total of 48 African countries are expected to attend the inaugural summit next week, with President Yoon Suk Yeol hosting summits with the leaders of 25 of them.
According to Republic of Korea’s Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo, the two-day summit will commence on Tuesday.
Twenty-five nations will be represented by their heads of state, and President Yoon will hold summits with each of them. The meetings will take place over lunch or dinner in the case of the leaders of Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, and Mauritania.
“This conference will be the largest multilateral summit since the launch of the Yoon Suk Yeol government and the first multilateral summit South Korea will be hosting involving Africa,” Kim said.
The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Korea, Mr Chung Byung-won, stated that the summit will be a game-changer for African countries and the Asian giant, as it will enhance investment and trade relations between the two.
He added, “The Summit will establish a mutually beneficial, strategic and long-lasting partnership with Africa. We seek to strengthen economic relations and growth and this event will provide a good opportunity for African countries to benefit from the innovative technology that Korea has for economic growth and development.”
