S. Korean Assembly speaker, Central Asian counterparts discuss cooperation at inaugural conference

By Kang Jae-eun

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliamentary speaker and counterparts from five Central Asian countries held a conference in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

At the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Parliamentary Speakers' Conference held in Seoul, Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo said South Korea hopes to "blossom a cooperative and mutually beneficial future toward the new era."

Along with Kim, the meeting brought together heads of legislatures from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The conference is set to be held annually, with Turkmenistan set to host next year's gathering.

Kazakhstan's assembly speaker, Yerlan Koshanov, said he looked forward for the conference to become an important backbone in developing relations between the six countries.

The morning session of Tuesday's event wrapped up with a luncheon hosted by Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon. He asked for the countries to support South Korea's bid to host the World Expo in 2030 in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Kim has also held separate one-on-one meetings with assembly speakers from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and requested their support for South Korea's World Expo bid.

fairydust@yna.co.kr
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