Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, second from left, and Hamid Naim Khudair Abdullah Al-Ghazi, third from left, Iraq's interior ministry secretary general pose for a photo in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday (local time). Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong is accelerating efforts to win overseas construction orders in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Qatar, the ministry said on Friday.
Won met with trade, transport and interior authorities in the three Middle Eastern countries during his trip from Wednesday to Thursday (local time) to fortify cooperation in smart-city planning and infrastructure construction.
Won met with Atheer Dawoud Salman Al Ghrairy, trade minister of Iraq, Wednesday and agreed to hold a Korea-Iraq joint committee in the first half of this year, almost five years since the last meeting held in Baghdad in 2017.
Won also met with Taliv Abdulah Baeish Al-Saad, deputy transport minister, and Hamid Naim Khudair Abdullah Al-Ghazi, the country's interior ministry secretary-general, and shared the latest developments on ongoing major projects including the construction of a railway system.
The minister's efforts are expected to increase the chance of many strong local players winning major construction projects in the Middle Eastern country long bogged down by delays in infrastructure building initiatives, due to military conflicts and subsequent political unrest.
The meeting with high-level officials was followed by another attended by Korean employees working at the regional headquarters there.
Won met with about 50 officials of Hanwha, a local conglomerate facing hurdles concerning a project to build a new city in Bismayah, about 10 kilometers southeast of Baghdad.
The next day, Won arrived in Doha, Qatar, and met with Abdullah Al Subaie, the country's interior minister, and continued efforts to promote the strength of Korea's infrastructure-building abilities.
He stressed the importance of resolving outstanding issues between Korean builders overseeing the city railway construction, and their Qatari project partners.
Minister Al Subaie sought assistance and cooperation with Korea in the fields of food security, a concern Won said can be eased with close ties in knowledge sharing and exchange programs through Korea's agriculture authorities. Korea's experience in smart farming and spatial information sectors will be of great help, he said.
Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, Qatar's energy minister, and Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti, the country's transport minister, agreed with Won to accelerate cooperation in the construction of green projects encompassing offshore wind power, as well as railway construction.
Won raised concerns expressed by Korean firms about the continued delay in expressway building projects with the transport minister, who said that the issue will be examined and resolved immediately.
"Korea will fortify cooperation not only in infrastructure building but also in energy sectors with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar and countries where Korean firms can find growth opportunities, as underpinned by years of strong ties over the past few decades," the ministry said.
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