Politics

Seoul, Ottawa agree to cooperate on critical mineral supply chains

Seoul, May 17 (EFE).- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday agreed to establish bilateral cooperation over supply chains of strategic minerals during a meeting in Seoul.

In the summit, which marked 60 years of bilateral ties, the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate cooperation in these supply chains, as well as in matters of energy transition and security.

“This MOU will further cooperation toward strengthening and securing supply chains for clean energy and critical minerals between the Republic of Korea (South Korea’s official name) and Canada,” Yoon and Trudeau said in a joint statement on the occasion.

Apart from signing the joint statement, the two leaders also “assessed the achievements of our cooperation so far, while agreeing to build a stronger partnership for the next 60 years for a more peaceful, more democratic, more just and prosperous world,” Yoon said during a joint press conference after the summit, local news agency Yonhap reported.

The statement condemned the Russian invasion in the “strongest possible terms” and reiterated support to Kyiv and the Ukrainian people.

The two leaders also came down hard on North Korea’s weapons tests and urged the regime to return to the negotiation table

“The ROK and Canada are also deeply concerned about the severe violations of human rights in North Korea,” the statement said, while pledging to work for improving the rights situation and living conditions of North Korean people.

Trudeau, who made a stop in South Korea before heading to Japan on Thursday for the G7 leaders’ summit, reaffirmed Ottawa’s support for Yoon’s initiative to offer large-scale economic aid in exchange for progress towards denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

The joint text announced an increase in Canada’s naval presence in the region and its participation in multinational operations, along with pledging joint efforts to monitor compliance with United Nations Security Council’s sanctions against Pyongyang.

The Canadian prime minister addressed the South Korean parliament on Wednesday, stressing the importance of stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Trudeau said Canada was committed to increasing “not just our trade but also our military engagement as a means of mitigating threats to regional security.” EFE

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