South Korea has formally established diplomatic relations with Syria

Syria has announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with South Korea.

Integrated Xinhua News Agency and Yonhap News Agency reported that the Syrian foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday (April 10), saying that the head of the Syrian Foreign Ministry Shibani and visiting South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol signed the agreement to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The agreement aims to build and strengthen friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries for the benefit of the two peoples, the statement said. The agreement provides for the establishment of embassies and diplomatic missions between the two countries. The two sides stressed that they will build bilateral relations on the basis of the principles of peaceful coexistence, sovereign equality of states, mutual respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Syria's interim president Salah also met with Cho on the same day.

According to the South Korean Foreign Ministry on Friday (11), Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol visited the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday and signed the Joint Statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Syria with Syrian Foreign Ministry head Shibani. Cho Tae-yeol expressed willingness to share South Korea's development experience and support Syria's reconstruction.

It is reported that South Korea sent a delegation to Syria in February this year after the political upheaval in Syria in December last year.