S.Korea, Qatar hold PM talks on energy cooperation

Doha/Seoul, March 21 (IANS) South Korea's Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum held talks with his Qatari counterpart in the Middle Eastern country on Sunday to discuss cooperation in energy supplies, agriculture, health and other areas, his office said.

The talks between Kim and Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani came as Seoul seeks to strengthen energy cooperation with Doha amid concerns that the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine could disrupt energy supply chains, Yonhap news agency reported.

Qatar accounts for more than 25 per cent of South Korea's liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.

Aside from energy cooperation, the two sides discussed health care, education and agriculture as Doha seeks to diversify its industries beyond the energy sector.

"In light of food security, Qatar has shown particular interest in the smart farm, a new area that South Korea has pioneered," Kim told reporters after the talks. "We will hand it over to the next government so that it can review it as one of its key tasks."

Earlier, Kim paid a courtesy call on Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.