Cheong Wa Dae says Wi has no plans to meet Russian officials currently in Kazakhstan during Putin’s state visit.
President Lee Jae Myung’s top security aide is set to meet Kazakh officials to discuss energy and supply chain cooperation and preparations for the first Korea-Central Asia summit, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The presidential office confirmed National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac’s trip to Kazakhstan on Thursday as South Korea seeks to diversify energy procurement channels and reduce its heavy dependence on Middle Eastern imports amid disruptions caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Wi’s visit to Kazakhstan aims to “discuss pending issues with Kazakhstan, Korea’s largest trade and investment partner in Central Asia and one of the key cooperation partners in Korea-Central Asia relations,” Cheong Wa Dae said.
Wi is scheduled to meet with officials from the Kazakh presidential office to discuss “regional circumstances and cooperation in energy and supply chains,” according to the office.
Kazakhstan, the world’s 12th-largest crude oil producer, has drawn growing attention from Seoul as a potential alternative energy supplier. Its export routes bypass the Strait of Hormuz, the volatile Middle Eastern chokepoint through which the vast majority of South Korea’s energy imports from the region must pass.
The country is also one of seven key members of the OPEC+ alliance that lead monthly production decisions alongside Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Russia and Saudi Arabia, underscoring its strategic weight in the global energy market.
Wi is also set to discuss preparations for the summit between South Korea and the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — which the South Korean government will host in September.
The talks between Wi and Kazakh officials will also cover Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s planned visit to Korea on the occasion of the summit.
“The Korean government plans to maintain close communication with Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, to ensure the successful hosting of the Korea-Central Asia Summit,” Cheong Wa Dae added.
Wi departed Seoul for Kazakhstan on Thursday.
Wi’s trip comes less than two months after Lee’s chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, met with Tokayev on April 8 in Astana as part of his four-nation trip to bolster energy security. Following the trip, Kang announced South Korea’s procurement of 18 million barrels of crude oil from Kazakhstan.
Seoul and Astana have been working to upgrade bilateral ties across the board.
During Kang’s trip, the two sides agreed to establish a high-level hotline between Kang and Murat Nurtleu, Tokayev’s aide for international investment and trade cooperation, to discuss cooperation not only on crude oil and naphtha supplies, but also on mineral resources, urban development and plant construction.
Cheong Wa Dae further dismissed the possibility of Wi meeting with Russian officials currently in Kazakhstan on the occasion of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s three-day state visit to the country, which began Wednesday.
“National security adviser’s visit to Kazakhstan this time is for bilateral consultations between Korea and Kazakhstan, and there are no plans for a separate meeting with the Russian side,” Cheong Wa Dae said.
“Korea and Russia are maintaining necessary communication through diplomatic channels, including their embassies, to manage bilateral relations stably and protect Korean nationals and companies.”
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
