Seoul, April 15 (IANS). A Seoul official said Tuesday that Syria gave the highest diplomatic label during its visit to establish a formal relationship with the top diplomat of South Korea last week. This indicates a strong commitment to deepening collaboration in the economy, reconstruction and other sectors. Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-Yur traveled to Damascus last Thursday to formally form diplomatic relations, which is a milestone. It is Seoul’s attempt to form a formal relationship with every UN member country except North Korea. Cho’s visit was kept in a confidential manner due to security conditions in Syria, where an interim government took over power after overthrowing the dictatorship of the half-century of former leader Bashar al-Assad. A Seoul official said that Cho received the top level diplomatic protocol during his brief visit, which included three times more security than is usually provided to a foreign minister. The official said: “Minister Cho was welcomed with full respect and he was maintained with the entire security convoy to arrive at the airport to cross the border.” After bilateral talks, Syrian Foreign Minister Asad Al-Shabani, Cho and his delegation surprised and drove himself to Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he met a courteous call to Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Shara. The official said: “To drive himself through a dignitaries in the Arab world and to take the gas with, is considered the highest form of label. It was an extraordinary sign of hospitality.” According to the Yonhap news agency, Cho returned from Lebanon to the country and returned from Istanbul. He stayed in Damascus for five hours. During the discussions, Syria expressed its great interest in adopting South Korea’s rapid economic development model and expressed his desire to send a government delegation to Seoul in the near future to continue bilateral cooperation in development assistance, energy, information technology and the rebuilding of the country’s rural country. Syria also hoped to form “strategic partnership” with South Korea in bilateral relations and said SEOUL would support its efforts to reduce international sanctions. “This is the first institution of diplomatic relations for the new Syrian government,” the official said. “Syria regards South Korea as a prominent partner in promoting its reconstruction efforts, and both sides believe that there will be many opportunities for South Korean businesses to participate.” The official said it is important to bring about relations with Syria, as it also indicates that it is moving away from the traditionally intimate relationship with North Korea in the foreign policy of the Arab country. He said: “Both parties have made a shared understanding that its cooperation through its formal relations with the new Syria and South Korea will contribute to the promotion of local peace and stability.” The official said the two countries had not yet discussed the opening of the embassy, but that both parties hope they will resolve the matter later. Currently, the South Korean embassy in Lebanon will temporarily serve as a mission to deal with Syrian affairs. -Ians Aks/CBT
Syria gave him diplomatic honors during the visit of the South Korean Foreign Minister to South Korean Foreign Minister
