By Byun Duk-kun TASHKENT, May 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was due Tuesday in Kazakhstan for talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and other government leaders on ways to increase cooperation between the countries.
The visit comes as part of Lee's two-nation trip to the region, which included his visit here to the Uzbek capital that began Sunday. He will arrive in Astana later Tuesday following a brief tour to Uzbekistan's ancient city of Samarkand with Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
Lee's three-day trip to Kazakhstan will begin with a welcoming dinner to be hosted by the Kazakh president. He and Nazarbayev will hold a summit early Wednesday, following an official welcome reception at the Ak Orda presidential palace in Astana.
Agendas for the meeting will likely include energy and economic cooperation between the countries, as well as Seoul's assistance to the Central Asian nation.
Seoul is seeking to significantly improve its relations with other Asian nations under its diplomatic campaign called the "New Asia Initiative," under which the South Korean government will actively promote the diplomatic and economic interests of Asia in the international community.
"President Lee's trip will help establish a strong friendship of trust with leaders of the key friendly nations in the Central Asian region, as well as foundation for mutually beneficial relations with the countries by strengthening our cooperation in energy and natural resources, construction, infrastructure and IT industries," a South Korean official said.
The South Korean president will also meet with Korean residents in Astana before heading home Thursday.
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