President Lee Jae Myung (left) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi shake hands during Lee’s official visit to Egypt in November. (Newsis) Former South Korean ambassador to Egypt Kim Yong-hyon called Thursday for Korea to bolster ties with Egypt, calling the country crucial amid uncertainties in the Middle East.
Taking into account Egypt’s track record of championing strategic balance in its foreign policy, South Korea should consider Egypt’s role in navigating fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran, as South Korea’s economy relies on oil imports impacted by the conflict.
“We need to put in more diplomatic endeavors, by launching high-level talks in the form of policy dialogues or strategic dialogues with African countries like Egypt,” Kim said at an event of the National Assembly’s Forum for Africa.
While Egypt is an active member of the Global South and its ties with China have been deepening, in part through the expansion of BRICS over the past couple of years, the time is ripe for South Korea to take corresponding actions, given South Korea’s “elevated international standing,” Kim said.
In this vein, the liberal Lee Jae Myung administration and the National Assembly should assume a greater role in fostering strategic cooperation with Egypt through more frequent visits there, according to Kim.
Lee last traveled to Egypt in November to meet his counterpart, Abdel Fattah El-Sissi. Kim accompanied Lee on the official visit.
In line with the president, who mapped out his Middle East initiatives in November, the parliament could also step up to play a bigger role in building closer ties with Egypt, Kim said.
He added there would be “lessons South Korea could learn” from Egypt’s strategic balancing and its mediator role in navigating the way out of a crisis in the Middle East, given South Korea’s unique geopolitical circumstances in East Asia in the face of North Korea’s nuclear threat.
The move should involve Seoul’s shift in perspectives toward the Middle East.
“In the past, our diplomacy toward the Middle East was heavily tilted to the field of economy,” he said. “I believe we need to put in more diplomatic endeavors in the Middle East that go beyond our pursuit of economic gain.”
In the meantime, ties could strengthen as South Korean firms, especially in the field of defense equipment and electronics, foster business opportunities in Egypt by setting up manufacturing plants there. Kim called Egypt “a gateway to Africa” from South Korean exporters’ perspectives.
Thursday’s event was hosted by the National Assembly’s Forum for Africa, which is chaired by People Power Party lawmaker Rep. Lee Hun-seung.
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