As Seoul steps up efforts to bolster bilateral ties after the landmark Vienna agreement of July 14, South Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun arrived in Tehran on Friday to hold high-level policy consultation meetings.
Visiting Kim Hong-kyun Deputy Minister for Political Affairs met with Iranian First Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi on Saturday.
During the meeting, the two sides stressed the long history of ties between the two nations, saying that more meetings can lead to bettr understanding for new grounds of cooperation.
Iran deputy foreign minister, for his part, reiterated the important role of Iran in providing security and peace in the region and called for cooperation against extremism and terrorism.
Greeting Iranian side for victory in Vienna talks, Kim Hong-kyun also paid a courtesy call on Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif from Korea’s Foreign Minister for Zarif’s success in Iran-Sextet talks.
The Korean official voiced hope for opening of a new chapter in bilateral ties with Iran in areas of politics, economy and culture.
After the implementation of the US-led anti-Tehran sanctions, bilateral trade and exchanges decreased sharply, triggering concerns among businessmen that South Korea could lose the market with a population of 80 million. Two-way trade volume, which stood at around $17.4 billion in 2011, had dipped to $8.6 billion last year.