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| Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks with representatives of the member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris, Nov. 30. Han arrived in Ghana, Thursday (local time) to strengthen ties on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Ghana. Yonhap |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in Ghana, Thursday (local time), which is the last destination of his trip to France and Africa.
Han became the highest-ranking Korean official to visit the West African country, as the two countries celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
The prime minister's office said Han's visit to Ghana will strengthen ties with the democratic country, which serves as a base for trade in West Africa, and lay the foundation for the special Korea-Africa summit planned in 2024.
Han will meet with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo Friday and convey Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's invitation to Akufo-Addo to pay a visit to Korea, while discussing ways to step up bilateral relations in trade, investment, energy, development, food security and other areas.
According to the prime minister's office, President Nana Akufo-Addo introduced Korea's UNIPASS customs system into Ghana, which boosted efficiency of the country's customs, and hopes to learn more from Korea's electronic government experience.
Ghana was elected to serve a two-year term at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) from 2022 to 2023 and Han is expected to discuss international issues, including North Korea, during his meeting with Akufo-Addo.
As partners sharing universal values such as democracy and human rights, Han will ask for Ghana's support for World Expo 2030 Busan.
Prime Minister Han will also meet Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to discuss ways to boost trade between Korea and African countries.
The AfCFTA, which came into effect in 2019, is the world's largest free trade area covering a population of 1.3 billion.
Before arriving in Ghana, Prime Minister Han attended the 171st General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), an international organization in charge of the Expo, to present Busan's case to host the World Expo 2030, Nov. 30, and then headed to Mozambique to discuss resource and energy issues.
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