Uzbek Leader, SKorean Airline Chief Discuss Cooperation

Excerpt from report by Uzbek state-owned National News Agency website

Uzbek President Islom Karimov received the chairman of the [South Korean] Korean Air airline, Yang-Ho Cho, at the Oqsaroy [presidential] residence on 27 August.

Welcoming the visitor, the head of state noted that relations between Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea were consistently developing in all spheres and today’s meeting was another proof of this.

We should stress that the scale of relations between Uzbekistan and South Korea in the aviation sphere is increasingly expanding. During Yang-Ho Cho’s current visit to Uzbekistan, a document was signed on opening an international logistics centre at the airport in the [central Uzbek] town of Navoiy, and this has become another practical result of cooperation.

[Passage omitted: during Karimov's visit to South Korea in February 2008, a memorandum on cooperation was signed between the Uzbek national airline, Ozbekiston Havo Yollari and the Korean Air; background on the Korean Air]

Yang-Ho Cho thanked the Uzbek president for the sincere reception and noted that his airline was interested in expanding cooperation with Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, views were exchanged on issues relating to further developing cooperation between the Ozbekiston Havo Yollari [Uzbekistan Airways] and Korean Air, working out and implementing new joint projects.

[Note: Karimov last met the South Korean airline chief in May 2008]

Originally published by Uzbek National News Agency website, Tashkent, in Russian 27 Aug 08.

(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Central Asia. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.