Seoul/More than 200 public and business sector representatives from South Korea, Latin America and the Caribbean, including Cuba, will meet starting this Monday at an annual cooperation forum in which they will seek ways to expand their investments in areas of common interest.
It is the first time that a Cuban delegation visits South Korea since Seoul and Havana reestablished diplomatic relations last February, a significant gesture, given the long-standing fraternal relationship between Cuba and North Korea and the escalation of tension between Pyongyang and Seoul in recent times.
Diplomatic ties between South Korea and Cuba had been broken since 1959, mainly due to the historical alliance with the North.
Diplomatic ties between South Korea and Cuba had been broken since 1959, mainly due to the historical alliance with the North.
Seoul and Havana took a step in normalizing their relations in May 2016 when the chambers of commerce of both nations signed a memorandum of understanding to share information related to business, carry out exchanges between their delegations and organize joint forums.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said that both sides have evolved from a simple commercial relationship on raw materials and industrial goods to become cooperative partners in cutting-edge fields, aerospace, hydrogen and defense.
“With the establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba in February, South Korea has completed a diplomatic network with all 33 Latin American countries, making 2024 a new milestone in Korea’s relations with Latin America,” the foreign minister said in his opening speech. from the forum, picked up by the local Yonhap news agency.
“With the establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba in February, South Korea has completed a diplomatic network with all 33 Latin American countries”
The two-day meeting is attended by ministers, ambassadors, businessmen and experts from the countries of these regions, and in this seventeenth edition the focus is on debates on cooperation to boost the economy, specifically the day to day Citizenship Day and the promotion of shared growth.
On the occasion of the event, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, diplomatic delegations and officials from Cuba, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Guatemala, Peru and other nations have traveled to Seoul, in order to exchange opinions on the panels.
