NEW Delhi (NNN-UNI) -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will leave tomorrow for a four-day visit to South Korea during which he will hold bilateral talks with President Lee Myung bak and attend the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul on March 26 and 27.
A bilateral agreement on Simplification of Visas will be signed between the two countries during the visit of the Prime Minister, aimed at giving depth and greater meaning to the strategic partnership and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between India and the Republic of Korea.
"The Prime Minister's visit, at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak, aims to give depth and greater meaning to our Strategic Partnership and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, strengthen people-to-people contacts between our two countries, strengthen cooperation in the field of science and technology, and also coordinate our thinking in matters relating to regional security, international events," External Affairs Ministry officials said.
During his official visit to Korea on March 24 and 25, the Prime Minister will hold discussions with the Korean President both in restricted and delegation-level formats.
"A bilateral agreement on Simplification of Visas will be signed and a joint statement will be issued," Foreign Secretary Rajan Mathai has said.
Also on the agenda of the visit is an interaction with leading CEOs of Korean corporations on March 26.
The elements of the programme include a wreath laying ceremony at the Memorial Tower on March 25. This will be followed by an official welcoming ceremony at the Blue House, which is the official residence of the Korean President.
The visit to South Korea is the second bilateral visit by a Prime Minister of India. The last visit was in 1993 by then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao.
Mr Lee had visited India on a State visit as chief guest for the Republic Day in 2010 and President Pratibha Devisingh Patil had visited RoK in July 2011.
External Affairs Ministry officials say India and South Korea have a strategic partnership since 2010. --NNN-UNI
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