Dear friends!
I am happy to once again have the opportunity of visiting your wonderful country, a country that is following the road of progress and creation with confident strides and has achieved truly impressive results. I know very well that these achievements are the result above all of the initiative, hard work and perseverance of the people of the Republic of Korea.
It is symbolic that this visit is taking place 15 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. Over this short time we have successfully established a constructive dialogue, expanded our political, trade, economic and cultural ties, and enriched the direct contacts between our countries’ business, scientific and cultural communities. I particularly want to note our fruitful cooperation in strengthening peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and developing multilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region in general.
We value greatly the level of bilateral partnership we have reached and we are committed to continued active work together. I hope that my visit will serve the noble cause of strengthening the friendship, trust and mutual understanding between our peoples.
I sincerely wish all the citizens of South Korea continued success, prosperity and peace.