Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with his Uzbek counterpart, Bakhodir Kurbanov, to discuss bolstering high-level personnel exchanges and joint training

Lee sought support for North Korea policy and extended an invitation to Kurbanov for the SDD

Minister Lee visited a military academy and encouraged the cadets

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup (second on the left) discusses the development of defense and defense industry cooperation with Uzbekistan Defense Minister Bakhodir Kurbanov (second on the right) at a defense minister’s meeting between South Korea and Uzbekistan held at the defense ministry building of Uzbekistan on August 1 (local time). Provided by Ministry of National Defense

On August 1 (local time), Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with his Uzbek counterpart, Bakhodir Kurbanov, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The two agreed to elevate their bilateral defense and defense industry cooperation to a higher level.

On August 2, the Defense Ministry announced that Ministers Lee and Kurbanov had held a defense ministerial meeting. During their discussions, they exchanged views on various areas of cooperation including high-level personnel exchanges, ICT and cybersecurity, educational exchanges, joint exercises, military medical services, and the defense industry. Both ministers further committed to refining their cooperation through continuous policy consultations.

Minister Kurbanov expressed a keen interest in defense industry cooperation with South Korea in the meeting. Minister Lee explained the superiority of South Korean weapon systems and decided to expand defense industry cooperation based on a close bilateral relationship.

Lee asked Kurbanov to support the South Korean government's North Korea policy and invited him to the Seoul Security Dialogue (SDD) 2023 and Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (Seoul ADEX) scheduled for October. Kurbanov expressed thanks for the invitation and said he would support South Korea’s policy on the North.

The two ministers later attended a ceremony where a South Korean defense firm and the Uzbek arms acquisition authorities signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the establishment of production facilities for military optical products.

Minister Lee also visited the Academy of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan, where he discussed cooperation in personnel exchanges, educational training. He encouraged cadets attending a Korean language class and asked them to act as a bridge for bilateral military exchanges. Lee also held in-depth talks with Uzbek National Security Council Secretary Viktor Makhmudov to discuss the development of bilateral relations in security, defense and the defense industry.

By Chae-Mu, Im <lims86@dema.mil.kr > 

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