Foreign ministers of Korea, Iraq to hold talks in Seoul this week

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Iraq will hold talks this week to discuss bilateral economic cooperation and other issues of mutual concern, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.

Seoul's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim Al-Jaafari will meet Tuesday to exchange views on a series of bilateral and regional issues, including security on the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)

Al-Jaafari's four-day schedule, which was arranged on the invitation of the South Korean government, begins Sunday.

Following the ministers' talks, the two sides plan to sign a memorandum of understanding on enhancing two-way exchanges and cooperation on the training of diplomats and joint research projects.

During his stay here, the Iraqi minister is to pay a courtesy call to Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, and Vice National Assembly Speaker Shim Jae-cheol, and meet with South Korean business leaders.

Iraq is South Korea's fifth-largest partner for oil imports after Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. (Yonhap)