President Yoon Suk Yeol and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev were set to hold a summit Friday to strengthen economic cooperation in the areas of mineral supply chains, infrastructure and energy.

The two leaders will hold talks in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent to discuss ways to bolster economic ties and the special strategic partnership forged in 2019.

They plan to sign memorandums of understanding and agreements on enhancing cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, infrastructure, energy and other areas.

South Korea considers Uzbekistan an important partner in Central Asia for its push to diversify its supply chains of minerals essential for advanced technology.

Uzbekistan is the most populous country among the five Central Asian countries, with more than half of its 36 million population under the age of 30.

After the summit, the president will attend a business forum involving government and industry officials of both countries.

On Saturday, Yoon will visit the historic town of Samarkand on
the ancient Silk Road and wrap up his weeklong trip to Central Asia, which included stops in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

Source: Yonhap News Agency