Moon, British PM hold phone talks over ties, climate change

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in held phone talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday and discussed ways to promote bilateral ties and cooperate on climate change, his office said.

Johnson invited Moon to the summit of the Group of Seven advanced economies to be held in Britain next year, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Moon expressed appreciation for the invitation and also invited Johnson to the upcoming P4G summit that South Korea plans to host in May next year.

P4G, which stands for Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030, is a public-private initiative aimed at tackling climate change and other sustainable development goals. The summit was put off to next year from an initial schedule of June 2020 due to the new coronavirus outbreak.

The two leaders also discussed climate change issues.

Moon explained his government's plan to go carbon neutral by 2050, an initiative to support the global fight against climate change.

"I've expressed commitment to tackling climate change with the announcement of the 2050 carbon neutrality plan. I hope the two countries will closely cooperate on this issue," Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae.

Moon and Johnson also discussed ways to cooperate in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the development of vaccines and treatments.

Cheong Wa Dae said Moon called for Britain's continued support for South Korea's efforts to denuclearize North Korea and bring permanent peace to the Korean Peninsula.

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