AKIPRESS.COM - South Korea and Uzbekistan on Tuesday agreed to further enhance bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries, Seoul's finance ministry said.

The agreement came at high-level talks between South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon and Uzbekistan's Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov in Tashkent, Yonhap news agency reported.

Their meeting is a follow-up to a summit meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Seoul in November of last year.

As part of efforts to upgrade the bilateral relationship, the two leaders agreed to expand exchanges between ranking government officials and expand areas of cooperation.

Moon and Mirziyoyev reaffirmed their joint efforts to further develop South Korea-Uzbekistan ties and boost their economic and trade relations.

According to the ministry, the two countries will work together in the fields, such as infrastructure, public healthcare and e-government.

In particular, the two nations signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) on the cooperation in the construction of a state-run medical service complex in the Central Asian country and a project to build a new airport terminal in Tashkent.

The two nations agreed to hold a similar meeting during the first half of next year, according to the finance ministry.

The ministry said the Uzbek government will work to address difficulties facing South Korean companies that operate there.