Asia-Pacific

S. Korean FM to meet with EU, NATO officials

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-04 14:53

SEOUL - South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan will visit Belgium next week to meet with officials from the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.

The minister will leave for Belgium on May 10 to meet with his counterparts, including Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the ministry said.

During the three-day visit, Yu and Ashton will sign the South Korea-EU Framework Agreement to replace a 1996 pact on trade and cooperation, according to the ministry.

The minister is also scheduled to give a speech to NATO officials on May 11 on nuclear issues of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the recent naval incident that killed scores of South Korean navy sailors, the ministry said.

"Minister Yu's visit to Belgium will be a good chance to enhance mutual cooperation not only with the EU but also with the NATO, a powerful regional security organization, and help strengthen its support for our foreign policies," the ministry said in a press release.