Seoul to Put Priority on Energy Diplomacy

The government will emphasize boosting economic cooperation with energy-rich countries around the world to secure sustainable energy resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Tuesday.

In a policy report to President Lee Myung-bak, the ministry unveiled plans for pragmatic diplomacy to help revive the nation’s economy.
Under the plans, the ministry aims to establish an “energy cooperation belt” with countries with rich energy resources such as Russia, nations in Central Asia, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

The government plans to hold a conference presided over by the President on cooperation with foreign nations in the field of energy and resources within the first half of the year, it said. Ministry officials dispatched to foreign bureaus will attend the meeting, the report said.

Currently, the ministry runs a total of 32 foreign offices for energy resources in Russia, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, a ministry official said. The ministry plans to increase the number of such offices to 50 in the coming years in a bid to support the Lee administration’s “energy diplomacy,” he said.

Korea Times