South Korea, Tajikistan agree to upgrade ties

South Korea and Tajikistan agreed Wednesday to establish a comprehensive partnership to expand cooperation in various areas, local media reported.

The agreement was reached during a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his visiting Tajikistani counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Seoul, hours before the inaugural South Korea-Central Asia Summit to be held later in the day, Yonhap News reported.

In addition to South Korea and Tajikistan, the maiden summit will be attended by the heads of state of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Highlighting Tajikistan's rich mineral resources and high economic growth potential, Lee hoped that the two countries would further expand mutually beneficial cooperation in sectors including railways, critical minerals and digital technology.

Rahmon, in return, said that one of his country's policy priorities is strengthening cooperation with South Korea, stressing the need to devise legal and institutional foundations to elevate bilateral cooperation to match the level of the new partnership.

Lee also held summit talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, calling the Central Asian country a solid partner in politics and the economy, and expressing hope for expanded bilateral exchanges.

Kyrgyzstan is South Korea's second-biggest trading partner in Central Asia in terms of trade volume, Lee noted, expressing hope that bilateral exchanges would further grow based on the high potential of cooperation between the countries.

Japarov, for his part, said his country considers South Korea one of its major cooperation partners in the Asia-Pacific region and prioritizes cooperation with Seoul in various sectors.